Meteos: The Movie
by AmyDonovan525
Summary: If Meteos was a movie, this is what its story might be like! It's up to 24-year-old Geolytian Zach Bandrews and 15-year-old Starriian Lolly Paluteena to team up, defeat the evil Planet Meteo, and save the galaxy once and for all.
1. Night Ride

Meteos: The Movie

(A prose version of what the movie might be like)

—Act 1: The Homefront—

**Author's Note: In the original DS game, you could choose either a single route consisting of six planets, a branch mode, or a multi mode, with 12 different possible endings. Furthermore, you could also decide which alien species builds the Metamo Ark and goes on the adventure. For the purposes of this "movie adaptation", though, I'll go with these choices. 1) The Geolytes are the main characters, since it said so in the game's opening movie. 2) They encounter ALL 39 other planets, both from the original game and from Meteos Wars. 3) Four of the 12 endings will be combined in some way, along with a fifth that I came up with on my own. Also, there's no way I'll be able to go into gorgeously intricate detail with every single one of these planets. Believe me, I've tried it once with just nine, and the results weren't pretty.**

Scene 1: Night Ride

In the deepest reaches of space, far from the outer rim of the galaxy, Planet Meteo floated sullenly in the void. It was an eyeball-shaped planet churning with molten magma, with a green ring encircling it, and it glowed with a bright red and white aura. It glared out at the galaxy and its many solar systems with its many planets, teeming with life forms of literally all shapes and sizes. It, too, like them, was composed of all ten major elements; Air, fire, water, soil, iron, electricity, grass, zoo, light, and darkness. It, too, should have been able to support life. In fact, it held a far greater amount of each of these elements than any one planet ever did, and over the millions upon millions of years it had existed, it had only made more and more. So what made them so special, and why couldn't it be the rightful ruler of them all?

So it thought during its many millennia of observation. But today, things would be different. This was the day Planet Meteo's pent-up rage would finally be unleashed. This was the day when it would launch stream after stream of all those elements it had been stockpiling over the millennia at each and every one of those planets. And all life forms across the galaxy—no, in fact, the universe—would finally acknowledge the true power of Planet Meteo at last!

* * *

24-year-old Zach Bandrews drove along the steeply inclined hills surrounding the glistening buildings of Twofork City on his trusty motorbike, which he named Dosani. Every night, under the same night sky blocked out from the city's ambient lights, he would drive with the wind blowing against his blue horns, launching himself off of dirt hills and timing the turbo boost so that he could fly through the air at maximum speed. With only his headlights to show the way, his reflexes had to be extra-sharp. But he relished the challenge. In fact, his nightly rides on Dosani were the only things in his life he'd ever been able to look forward to for the past eight years. And during one of these courses, there was no place on Geolyte he would rather be, nor could anyone drag him there.

After the last launch off the last hill, he cut the turbo boost and proceeded to drive along normally in the night. He began to think about everything that had led his life up to this…

* * *

"_Guess what, Zach?" shouted Mr. Bandrews as he came back from work one day._

_The then 8-year-old Zach dropped the Hot Wheels and Legos he was playing with and ran right up to his dad, shouting, "What? Ooo, ooo, let me guess! They let you join the FBI? We got a monster truck? Have they figured out how to build a mecha yet? Can I be a real ninja for Halloween? What is it? Huh? Huh? Huh?"_

"_Nah, none of those," chuckled Mr. Bandrews as he jokingly rapped Zach's head. He unlocked his briefcase and took out a gray box game system of sorts, as well as a game to go along with it. "This is the original Nintendo Entertainment System. And this is a game for it called—"_

"_Excitebike!" Zach interrupted, reading off the box._

"_Yeah. You get to race other people on these motorbikes and go off ramps and stuff. Favorite game ever. Thought you might like it."_

_For the next several hours, they sat in front of the TV set with the controllers, taking turns trying out different bikes and winning the Grand Prix. It would only be interrupted when Mrs. Bandrews smiled and let them know it was time for dinner._

* * *

_It wasn't until eight years later that the horrible news came in. Mr. Bandrews had just finished repairs on the flight module that would have continued the connection between Geolyte Space Base of Operations and their remote Lunar Observation Base on the moon when a meteor smashed into his space suit from behind. Upon hearing it from the TV news, 16-year-old Zach burst out of the house, with his mom shouting behind him, "Zach!"_

_He ran and ran, trying not to let his grief and indignation get the better of him. "It's not fair!" he shouted, mostly to himself. "He promised he would get me a real motorbike when I got all A's! And I just did! He promised!"_

* * *

And the recent argument he just had with his mom…

* * *

"_Zach, honey, I can't pick up your mess for you forever. Sooner or later, you're going to have to find a job, and—"_

"_I know, I know!" he mumbled, still lying on his bed. He had this discussion with her practically a million times._

"_And you didn't even go to graduate school. Zach, I think—"_

"_College sucked, and this so-called Physics degree doesn't help at all. Seriously, mom, what are the chances that graduate school will be any different? Just a waste of time and money, that's what it is."_

_His mom sighed and sat down. "Look, I miss your father as much as you do, but—"_

"_Shut up! Quit bringing him up and leave me alone!" he shouted, jumping out of his bed, out the door, and on Dosani._

_Mrs. Bandrews just sat there in shock, trying to finish her sentence. "…but I want you to have a better future than he ever did."_

* * *

Zach thought over these memories and more, realizing that the absence of his dad had affected him way more than he was willing to admit. Furthermore, he picked the Physics degree simply because that's what his dad majored in, and never stopped to think about what he really wanted to do with his life. He kept hearing stories about people who've discovered what they wanted to do in life when they were, like, 13 years old, and so could spend their teenage and college years preparing for what they loved most. Too late for himself, he thought. And while he enjoyed riding Dosani every night, there weren't exactly any…professions…that called for such skills, at least, not that he knew of.

Finally, he stopped to think. He was 24. His life was going nowhere. Could it be because he never figured out what he wanted to do in the first place? After all, whenever someone would ask him, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" his answers would always be answers like "A pirate!" or "A ninja!" that would sound good but were otherwise implausible in real life.

Maybe…maybe he should go back home and apologize to his mom…say that he'll actually try to make an effort to look for at least some job. Not that his chances of succeeding were good, but maybe if he started with something basic, he might be able to at least move out of the house, out of his mom's hair, and maybe the life on his own might finally provide some answers…

At that very moment, the sky lit up, and evacuation alarms blared from Twofork City. He looked up to see a stream of meteors—no, more like multicolored blocks—aiming right for his house! "No, no, no, no, NO!" he nearly panicked as he pushed Dosani's turbo to the max and headed straight for home.

Luckily, his mom heard his engine from inside the house and went on the front porch to greet him. "Zach!"

"Mom! Get out of here! NOW!" he shouted. He pulled her onto the backseat and drove out of there just as she looked up to see the meteors land around their house like Judgment raining down from above, setting the surrounding trees ablaze. He continued to push the turbo to the max, too desperate to get out of there to notice that the meter was getting dangerously close to overheat status.

That is, until it actually did overheat.

Dosani suddenly lost all speed, sending Zach flying off 100 feet ahead. As if that weren't enough, he tumbled down several grassy hills along the way. Fortunately, his mom was only thrown to the front seat. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure whether she should turn the key or press the button next to it to get Dosani moving again. And just to make matters worse, they weren't out of the meteors yet. In fact, the biggest swarm of them was headed, at that very moment, straight for Zach.

"ZACH!" shouted his mom. She tried running to get him out of the way, but given how fast the meteors were moving, she would only manage to cover 80 feet at most by the time they would hit.

Zach tried to soothe his aching head and turned around. "Mom?" he asked. But then he saw the meteors headed straight for him. Wait. Weren't these the same kind of meteors that killed his dad? Or was it just his imagination?

Right then, though, something so shocking happened that he almost couldn't believe it was happening. The three red meteors that were aiming right for him suddenly slowed down and fused together. They then shot some sort of rocket fuel from below and shot back up, intercepting all the remaining meteors on its way, all the way back into outer space.

Zach just sat there, jaw dropping in utter disbelief, even after his mom caught up to him and started brushing the dust off of him. The meteors looked the same as the one on TV. But this time, there were a whole swarm of them, and to make matters more confusing, they were just about to hit him like his dad…but didn't.

Coincidence? Or could it be…some sort of sign?

* * *

Planet Meteo confidently believed that its conquest would remain unopposed…that is, until one of its meteor streams flew right back into it, damaging a significant chunk of its surface. _WHAT?_ it seethed. _How is this possible? What's going on here?_ It thought back to which planet it sent the meteors to, and it remembered it was that certain blue-and-green planet called Geolyte. It narrowed its focus onto the planet and glared. _Planet Geolyte, huh? Perhaps there is something about this planet different from all the others…or some__**one**__._

**To be continued…**


	2. The World Ends With Who?

Scene 2: The World Ends With Who?

"Zach! Zach, you okay? Let me see!"

He pushed his mom's hand away from his face, complaining, "Mom, I'm okay! I'm not a kid anymore! See? Not even a first-degree burn."

Without a word, she hesitantly pointed to his right horn, which looked slightly charred.

He weakly finished, "…eeeeeexcept that eensy little flesh wound over there...which is amazing, considering how I've just been hit by three rocket blasts that were—MOSTLY STEAM! Mostly steam, Mom. It's not that bad…"

Still, she slung her arm under Zach's shoulders and helped him up. "Come on. Let's get you back to the house. We'll fix it."

The walk up the numerous hills was painfully slow, as Zach realized that he was in a little more pain than he thought he was. Only the gentle illumination from the dying fires up ahead showed them where to go. By the time they managed to reach the top, they received a nasty surprise.

The meteors had hit their house after all. Everything was charred and razed to the ground. Everything. Even both cars and a significant chunk of the driveway.

They both slumped to the ground, desperately trying to contain their shock and sadness. They've lived in that home ever since Mr. and Mrs. Bandrews first moved in. It was Zach's only home for as long as he could remember. It had all the game systems, family heirlooms, dinner dishes, furniture, and everything they ever had. And it was gone. Poof. Just like that.

After what seemed to be an eternity later, Zach finally asked, "…Mom? What are we going to do now?"

She quickly dried her tears and remembered her son's horn burn. "Where's your cell phone?"

"What? Here. Why?"

"Give it to me. We need to call an ambulance."

Just then, a deep voice from behind startled them. "Zach and Maria Bandrews? That won't be necessary. Come with us."

Zach and his mom spun around to see a group of men in black just standing there in a row. They briefly wondered how much time had passed since they saw the meteors leave. Enough time for these men to sneak up upon them, anyway. Without another word, the men helped the two of them to their feet. "Who are you people, anyway?" asked Mrs. Bandrews, clearly suspicious.

"Oh! Right. Forgive us for not introducing ourselves, ma'am," apologized the leader. "We represent the Task Force Team of the Lunar Observation Base. You may call me Mr. D. And don't worry, young man. We'll get that horn burn treated as soon as possible."

As they began walking, Zach turned around and asked, "Hey! What about Dosani?" He almost immediately regretted what he said. What would they care about a simple motorbike?

To his surprise, they didn't laugh at all. One of them replied, "Sure, we'll bring it along on the way up." He broke off from the main group, ran all the way down the hill to where the motorbike was lying, and lifted it with one arm over his shoulder. When Zach was through with being amazed, he asked, "Wait. 'On the way up'…? What does he mean?"

Mr. D directed Zach's gaze to the space shuttle up ahead, partly hidden in the woods. Zach looked at it more closely and said, "Heeeeey…! That's the—!"

"The same shuttle your father worked on?" finished Mr. D. "Hardly. A lot has happened in the past eight years, Zach. You'll see."

Zach didn't have time to think about that painful time. He had other questions on his mind. "Wait. We're not going to…?"

"Yes, our base on the moon. It's about what you just witnessed. Our scientists need answers, Zach. I'll leave it at that."

The rest of the Task Force Team took their places on the shuttle, while some helped show Zach and his mom how to buckle their special space travel seat belts. The medical technician of the group applied what seemed like a fast-acting pain-relieving solvent to Zach's horn, and wrapped it in a bandage. It was starting to feel better already. As the shuttle launched off from the ground and into the air, Zach couldn't help but feel a little queasy that they were going up to the place where those freaky meteors came from. Come to think of it, this was the very first time he and his mom were going into outer space. Part of Zach was still convinced that this was all a dream. His mom seemed to be taking it a little better; she stared out the window in awe at the shrinking cities outside.

They flew through the troposphere, then the stratosphere, then the mesosphere, and finally, the thermosphere, with the moon getting closer and closer. Zach remembered seeing pictures of the Lunar Observation Base before, but this time, it had a detail to it finer than what pictures could capture, even through the windows. It was more like a colony, with a giant tower sticking out from several little interconnected buildings that gleamed of steel. The tower itself had added support from two other tower-like structures, and the very top of the tower was a giant room with a massive window looking out onto everything, along with two Geolytian-like horns on both sides of it, probably for the purposes of catching radio frequencies. Their shuttle landed at the base of one of the support towers.

Mr. D led them through the connecting passageway that led to the support tower, where they went up elevators and walked along other passageways before finally coming to the Observation Room on top. Zach and his mom stared out in wonder at the complex array of holograms, technological readouts, computer monitors, massive telescopes that line the back wall, and all the scientific personnel running around the place, no doubt doing everything they can to collect data on that strange meteor attack.

One of the elderly scientists dropped what he was doing and came forward, asking, "Oh! Is that them?"

"This is them, all right. The survivors of the Meteo attack. Zach and Maria, meet Head Professor James Glierce, PhD." said Mr. D.

Zach was confused and a little suspicious at the same time. "Meteos? Wha—? Hey…" Did he just stumble upon top-secret withheld-to-the-public operation here?

His mom was a little more polite in this situation, but got straight to the point, anyway. "Professor, could you please tell us everything you know about these so-called…Meteos?"

"Certainly, ma'am," replied Professor Glierce as he waved for Mr. D and his Task Force to go back down the elevator. Eyeing Zach's horn bandage, he added, "And I'm sorry about your son's horn injury."

Zach groaned. "Why does everyone keep bringing it up…?"

The professor led them to his main computer and brought up a few images of the colored blocky meteors. He explained, "On Geolyte's surface, as well as the moon's, we've come across special types of rocks completely separate from our ordinary three classifications, which are—"

Mrs. Bandrews spoke up. "Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, right?"

Zach looked shocked. Even he didn't remember that fact. His mom raised an eyebrow at him and whispered, "If you'd paid more attention to your classes, you'd remember that!"

The professor didn't seem to notice that little exchange. "Correct. Now** these **rocks have properties that completely defy all those classifications. In many ways, they could be called molten rock…except that each one is infused with a 50% concentration of one of ten elements. These elements can be air, fire, water, soil, iron, electricity, grass, zoo, light, or darkness. All these rocks are the exact same size and shape. It's the elements that are different. We call these rocks, 'Meteos'."

Zach continued to stare at the pictures, especially the pink rock labeled zoo. "Why call them 'Meteos'?"

"Because when we first encountered them, the way they glowed looked like meteors that had recently landed. However, further studies have shown that these Meteos have played a vital role in forming our planet and its moon from the very beginning."

Mrs. Bandrews followed Zach's gaze. "The zoo element's pretty, but I'm not sure I've heard of it."

"It is indeed the least understood of all the elements. We believe that it has something to do with organic tissues that make up living things, but to be honest, even we are still figuring it out. Now where were we?"

"Freaky Meteos rain that tried to kill us," prompted Zach.

"Oh yes! Never before have we seen Meteos rain down in such concentrated amounts. We have observed that if they embed themselves into a planet's surface and stack themselves all the way up to its atmosphere…" He made a "poof" sound and a gesture suggesting the planet exploding.

Zach's jaw dropped to the floor as the professor brought up the images of those planets and the unfortunate results. Now he and his mom were really listening. Was that what could've happened to Geolyte? It sounded like there could've been way more than just their house that was burned to the ground. What was going on in here?

"And to make matters, much, much worse…" continued the professor, "is that we have determined who—or should I say, what—is unleashing those streams of annihilation. It is a planet made entirely of them. We call it Planet Meteo."

The two of them stood transfixed at the image of the molten, glaring eyeball of a planet shooting out the deadly streams. A thousand more questions popped up in their heads, but none of them knew exactly which to ask first. In fact, by this time, many of the scientists running around the area had stopped what they were doing to look at the picture.

"Now, if you're wondering why Mr. D brought you both up here, it's because we observed the general area of the attack and sent them to investigate for any survivors. You see, none of the planets attacked by the Meteo Streams have ever survived…except for ours. Why? What made them turn back? Did you two have anything to do with it?"

And with that, the two of them opened their mouths and blurted out the whole story.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. There were three fire elemental Meteos in a row, correct?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And they fused together, just like that?"

"Yep."

"And they sprouted rockets that launched them back into space, taking all the other Meteos along with it, and you two had absolutely nothing to do with it, right?"

"Pretty much."

The professor walked to the front of the room in front of the transfixed crowd of scientists. "So basically, if we somehow found a way to move the Meteos in a Meteo Stream so that three of the same element became contiguous, we could theoretically save ourselves from any future threats of annihilation from Planet Meteo."

Everyone cheered. Zach and his mom just stared in amazement. The scientists started shouting out ideas.

"We should make a battleship that does that!"

"With laser-precise technology!"

"Maybe even made out of the Meteos themselves!"

"Yeah, our research has shown that they're attracted to one another regardless of their elemental properties!"

The professor calmed everyone down. "Everyone! All your ideas are wonderful, and we should continue to work them out! After all, we still have no idea when Planet Meteo will launch the next attack. But first, I must settle one more thing…" He let the scientists run around again, now obviously eager to work on the battleship idea. "Zach, Mrs. Bandrews, thank you very much for your time and information. And since we've heard the report about your house, I would like to offer the two of you residence here on the Lunar Observation Colony. What do you say?"

Mrs. Bandrews thought for a moment. "We'd like to, Professor, but Zach is looking for a job, and I need to make sure—"

"Oh, jobs aren't an issue here, ma'am. He can assist with our research, join the construction or repair crew, you name it! We are always in need of more helpers, and I have a feeling we will be hiring many, many more people over the coming weeks."

Zach and his mom stared at each other in awe. Then to the professor, they both shouted, "We'll do it!"

Right then, they both remembered hearing something about how bad events can lead to good events, and vice versa. If they never believed in that saying before, they certainly did now. And besides, despite losing their whole house and both cars to the Meteos, it was pretty clear by this point that they could've lost way more than that.

**To be continued…**


	3. Captain of the Metamo Ark

Scene 3: Captain of the Metamo Ark

For the next four weeks, Zach and his mom lived on the Observation Colony on the moon, helping out whenever they can. Each day, Zach took a different job. One day he would try data analysis, the next he would go out and search for rock samples, and still others he would assist in the construction of that mysterious starship that would hopefully have the ability to move Meteos in Meteo Streams around. Then he tried electrical maintenance, front lobby receptionist, being a sales clerk, and more. He found that though each job paid a little differently, those pay increases and decreases didn't necessary compute with the amount of enjoyment he could derive from the job itself. So far, he had yet to find a job that paid highly and that he actually enjoyed…though that was a tall order, anyway.

He found that he could finally go out into the local commissary and buy whatever food or items he wanted without having to rely on his mom all the time, with money he earned himself, instead of limited amount money that his mom had to give him for college. These shopping sessions alone made him realize just how much he really enjoyed certain foods and whether or not it's worth it for him to buy, as he also wanted to save money for other things such as tune-ups for Dosani.

Speaking of Dosani, the scientists allowed Zach to ride the motorbike for his collection jobs, as long as they put a sound muffler on Dosani's engine. Didn't want the noise to inconvenience everyone and/or mess with the geological samples he had to collect. He normally would have been annoyed by this regulation, but since the gravity of the moon was 1/6 that of Geolyte, he was able to beat his previous height record by six times, so he was too thrilled to complain.

His mom was also kept busy, too. She also volunteered for everything from basic cleaning services to gourmet meal chef and even to data collection and analysis. For the first time ever, she and Zach could finally go at different times to buy different foods and items depending on what they wanted.

Given how much Zach still liked riding Dosani and giving it tune-ups, he slowly realized that he was starting to have the most fun in construction and maintenance. In fact, he noticed that every day, more people would show up on shuttles that came from Geolyte, many of them to work on the Meteo starship. He met his old friend Jody Plimmer from elementary school (though she recognized him first, if only faintly) who had recently double majored in engineering and chemistry, and became fast friends with Rick Steeler, a guy who worked on cars all the time back on Geolyte. Together, the three of them worked so well that they ended up becoming an example that all the other workers looked up to.

The scientists had decided that the outer layer of the ship should be made out of Meteo Ore, and Zach found it had something to do with what they called the Sliding System, which would supposedly move incoming Meteos around. But he could never be sure how it worked. As for the name of the ship, the scientists were starting to get tired as to how everything was called Meteo Ore this, Planet Meteo that, so they decided to go for something different. They eventually agreed on Metamo Ark.

Then came the announcement that made Zach work harder than ever.

Professor Glierce walked up to the front of the room and announced, "Okay, now that everyone's here…"

He pressed a few buttons on the computer next to him and sent up a few pictures of the newly-named Metamo Ark and Planet Meteo on the window, which apparently could double as a hologram projector screen.

"As you all know, the Metamo Ark is about 62% complete. Zach Bandrews, Rick Steeler, and Jody Plimmer? Seeing as how you three and your groups have been working so hard to build it, we have come to believe that all of you are qualified to become its crew. The question is, which one of you are most qualified to be the captain?"

That got everyone in the room talking at once. The professor had to call for quiet before he could continue.

"Of course, being the captain will be the most difficult responsibility of all. You will have to give orders to everyone on the ship AND operate the mechanism we are developing to move the Meteos around. In other words, the fate of the ship and its crew will entirely be in your hands. But you will also be able to choose who will be your backups."

Zach raised his hand and asked, "How are you going to choose who's going to be the captain?"

"Glad you asked, Zach. Over the next two to three weeks or so, we'll be monitoring all of you to see whether you have the right character for the job. So work hard, find out everything you can about how to operate the ship, and don't slack off. Very simple."

Jody pointed straight at the other picture, "Professor, you never got to mention Planet…"

"Meteo? Oh yes. We have observed that, oddly enough, it has stopped sending out Meteo Streams as of late. We're not sure why. But our energy levels indicate that its energy levels are increasing, so we are worried that it might try an even stronger attack than before. We really must complete the Metamo Ark before Planet Meteo strikes again!"

So that really got Zach going. Over the four weeks after that, he eagerly helped out with the construction, giving his teammates advice on where to put each Meteo rock for the outer hull, and he worked faster than ever. He frequently met with the scientists to examine the blueprints, see how the Sliding System would work, and brought them down to ensure that they were all building it according to plan. He became so busy that the only time he rode Dosani was to pick up food for his teammates or construction materials for the ship, and he was becoming more concerned about speed and less about trying to jump his highest every day. For the first time in a long, long time…he felt as if his life finally had meaning.

The night before the day the professors were to announce who would become the captain of the Metamo Ark, Zach asked his mom, "...What if they don't pick me?"

She turned to her son, who was lying face-up on the couch after yet another long, tiring day, and replied, "Sweetie, they WILL pick you."

He raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "How do you know THAT?"

"Look, just two months ago, you were a freeloading lazy bum who never picked up his mess, and then you suddenly started working twice as hard as I do. They'd have to be blind to not notice," she replied, almost jokingly.

"Still, Jody and Rick work just as hard, and they seem more…I dunno…responsible?"

His mom knelt down beside him. "Even if you don't get to be the captain, they've still got to pick you for a position in High Command, and those are no less demanding. And even if that doesn't happen, that still doesn't change the fact that you'll be doing something important for all of us. No matter what happens, I just want to let you know, **I'll **be proud of you, at least."

Zach thought over those last few words before falling asleep.

That didn't stop him from feeling jittery with anticipation the next morning when they all gathered in front of the scientists on the top floor to admire their finally finished starship. He was too nervous for his brain to fully register the fact that Professor Glierce was congratulating them for a job well done.

"And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. We have finally decided who will be the captain of the Metamo Ark! And boy, it was a very difficult choice."

Zach really wished there was a drumroll in the place somewhere.

The professor pulled out a small piece of paper and read, "The Captain of the Metamo Ark will be…"

Never mind; everyone started drumrolling right then and there.

"…

…

…

…ZACH BANDREWS!"

Right when he leaped 6 feet into the air in exultation, Jody and Rick tackled right into him and brought him back down to the ground, hugging him like crazy. All the other workers decided to join in, and soon, it was pretty much a dogpile. It didn't help that dozens of party poppers and thousands of confetti swirls went off and started raining down.

After the confetti died down and the workers finally got off them (with help from Zach's mom), Zach finally noticed that Jody and Rick were hugging him and asked, "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. **I **get to be the captain?"

"I know, man!" exclaimed Rick excitedly.

"What? But…but I thought you guys wanted to…"

"True, at first I did…" Jody admitted. "But when you really think about it, it makes sense. There's just something about you that…you know…makes you stand out more than any of us."

Rick asked, "…But we still get to be your co-captains, right?"

"Hey, yeah!" Zach playfully punched them both in the biceps.

His mom was watching the whole time. When they finally calmed down, she finally said, "See? I'm your mother. I know everything."

Zach smiled and replied, "…Well whaddya know."

Right at that very moment, an alarm blared throughout the whole station, sending a red light blinking on and off. "All personnel, to the Metamo Ark! Another Meteo Stream is headed this way!"

Professor Glierce quickly brought up the screens, and it showed a diagram with an analysis of the new stream. Planet Meteo had released a Meteo Stream at least ten times as long and three times as wide as the one before. It was headed straight for Planet Geolyte, and there were only 20 minutes until impact.

"Sorry, Zach. No time for a test run. It's the real deal now. Good luck," announced the professor solemnly.

Zach's head spun. He could barely manage a wave goodbye to his mom before Jody and Rick dragged him to the stairs, running all the way down to the Metamo Ark to take their positions. Before he knew it, they had already arrived at the Commander's Area, a control console set in the huge frontal room with a similar window with holographic diagrams. Jody took the console to the left, while Rick took the one to the right, leaving Zach in the center. As soon as all the workers had taken their positions, Jody shouted over the intercom, "We're ready! Prepare launch sequence Alpha-29 immediately!"

Zach couldn't believe it. Only yesterday, he had dreamed about being at the very console, and now here he was, about to face the Meteo Stream with absolutely no practice at all.

As soon as the loading bar on the screen in front of him filled up, he gripped his intercom device and ordered, "Initiate launch sequence now."

He vaguely remembered someone saying something like "Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it." At the time, he had no idea why they would say such a thing, when he clearly would be ecstatic if his wishes came true.

Now, though? He finally understood.

**To be continued…**


	4. First Battle

Scene 4: First Battle

The Metamo Ark launched off its launch pad in front of the main Lunar Observation Tower, and the impact forced Zach and friends to hold onto the railings in front of their computer consoles. Once the jump in inertia stabilized, though, they turned their attention to the Meteo Stream, which was getting closer by the second.

Professor Glierce's voice came up through the radio. "Zach. Once you've reached the point we've marked on the Metamo Ark's map, press the 'Battle Mode' button. Got it?"

"Y—yes sir…" he affirmed. Despite his best efforts, it was very hard for him to understand the whole Battle Mode concept because he could never get past the first few pages of scientific and technical jargon. It looked like he would have to learn about it on the spot.

The ship reached the spot marked by the coordinates on the map and started to slow down immediately. Zach gripped the handlebar as tightly as he could to minimize the inertia effect and pressed the big green button marked "Battle Mode" in front of the screen.

He expected a series of big laser cannons to pop out of the ship, or maybe the consoles for controlling such lasers would appear, or maybe a shield of some sort would materialize around the ship.

He wasn't expecting what happened next.

The Meteo ore comprising the outer layer of the ship suddenly detached and hovered around the ship. They spun faster and faster, and soon enough, they actually started morphing. The inner Meteo layer that covered the ship started growing at a rapid pace. Within seconds, the mass completely covered the front window.

"Hey! What's going on?" shouted Zach, completely lost in the darkness.

"Don't worry," reassured the professor over the radio. "If all goes well, Geolyte won't even have to worry about being hit."

Three vertical holograms popped up in front of Rick, Zach, and Jody, respectively. Another major screen popped up on the glass window in front, which lit up the entire room. It showed everything that was happening on the outside of the ship. Apparently, all the Meteos of the outer layer were transforming into an exact copy of all the continents, seas, and skies of Geolyte, except that it was a lot smaller, so it was more like a model of Geolyte, without the people in it. "Whoa whoa whoa! Why are we turning into another Geolyte?" shouted Zach.

"Because if our theory is correct, the Meteo Stream won't aim for the real Planet Geolyte. Instead it'll aim for you guys."

Everyone was stunned. "WHAT?"

The professor was visibly fed up by this point. "Hurry up and focus on moving those Meteos, or they'll annihilate us all! Here they come!" Sure enough, the Meteo Stream changed course and went straight for the Metamo Ark and its replica of Planet Geolyte.

SMASH!

Three layers of enemy Meteos pounded into the outer hull of the ship. They showed up on Rick's, Zach's and Jody's hologram screens as colored blocks. Then more Meteos fell in one by one. Zach wasn't sure how to move them at first, as there weren't any buttons or levers that looked like they could do anything about it. But something about these holograms looked more solid than usual. He tried poking a certain water elemental block on the hologram—and to his surprise, it twitched. He grabbed on it, and though he could move his hand right through it, he definitely felt some sort of energy mass in that exact spot. He tried moving it to the right. It didn't work. To the left? Also didn't work. He was just about to call it quits when he tried moving it up—and to his surprise, it moved!

Rick and Jody both exclaimed, "Whoa!" and immediately went about doing the same for their screens. But Zach was the first to align three water block in a row—and just like as he remembered it, they fused and launched into the sky!

"YEAH!" he cheered. But his feeling of triumph didn't last long. The rockets only took the Meteos up halfway before they started to fall. "WHAT? Aw, come on! What IS this?"

The professor came back online. "It's supposed to simulate our planet's gravity, but it looks like the fact that the Metamo Ark is made of Meteos kind of…makes it harder for the Meteos to get away. I think you might need to make another ignition."

"ANOTHER one?" Zach griped. But he decided not to complain anymore and focus on his screen. Somehow, judging by the layout, he got the feeling that it wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it would be. While he was scanning the pile for more elemental matches to make, the previous group of Meteos he launched had already landed back down. Then the incinerated Meteos became un-burnt and turned into different colors.

This wasn't good. The Meteo stack was already at the half-way point on his screen.

"Zach, I figured it out!" shouted Jody. "First, you line up three like so…" She dragged three air elemental Meteos together, and it launched all the blocks above it halfway up. "Then you make another match in the same exact pile, like this!" She found three fire elemental Meteos and quickly matched them up, and the resulting ignition gave the pile enough velocity to escape the top of the screen.

Cheers from the radio confirmed her findings. "That's it, Jody! It's going back to Planet Meteo! Now you three better keep this up until the stream is over, got it?" said the professor.

"Yes sir!" She then continued finding new rows of three to launch.

"Jody, hang on," said Rick. "I think we have a better chance at clearing our ship of this stuff if we drag them to the bottom. See?" He dragged three soil elements to the bottom, and when they fused, all of the Meteos on top were launched, with none left on the bottom.

Zach tried both tips and dragged some air elements to the bottom to make the first ignition, as well as some water elements for the second ignition, which cleared the screen. It seemed like the elements themselves played no difference, at least when it came to ignition strength.

But then a warning bleep interrupted his concentration. Apparently, there was a stack to his right that had piled all the way up to the top of the hologram, and it was flashing red. The ship began to shudder violently. One of the crew members shouted, "Captain, there's too much pressure on the ship! If this keeps up, it'll collapse!"

"Zach! ZACH! What are you doing?" shouted the professor.

Suddenly, the innocuous little puzzle game wasn't so innocuous anymore. In fact, it never was. The gravity of the situation hit Zach right then and there. If he didn't do something fast, then the whole ship will collapse, and then…

"AAAAAARGH!" he shouted in frustration as he frantically dragged blocks up and down randomly in the stack. Much to his surprise (and relief), he managed to create enough random ignitions so that none of the stacks were flashing red anymore. Furthermore, he noticed that one of the ignitions were…vertical. Not only that, but it also went up the whole way, with no secondary ignition necessary. "Huh? Hey, I didn't know you could do that!"

Jody replied, "Apparently, you can also do this…" She dragged three water elemental Meteos to the bottom where they ignited, and then she dragged one soil element from the ignited stack and two soil elements to the bottom of the unignited pile right next to it. As soon as the ignited stack hit the ground, the soil elements fused and became a bigger stack! But this one didn't quite clear the top this time.

"…and this. Look," said Rick. He had two fire elements on one side, and one on another with an iron element in between. All he did was drag a fire element in-between them and all four of them lit up.

They could've probably gone on and on discovering new aspects of the ignition process, but at that moment, it looked like no new Meteos were pummeling their ship anymore. They blasted off as many as they could, and as for the few remaining, they got absorbed into the ship's outer hull to help repair any damage.

Cheers and exultations came from the radio. "You did it, kids! After today, Planet Meteo will think twice about attacking our planet again! Now press the Battle Mode button again and get back here. You deserve nice, long rest."

Zach pressed the glowing green button again, and the Geolytian scenery outside morphed back into its original Meteo Ore form. The ship regained its normal outer shell, and the front window became clear again. The holograms also disappeared, and Jody immediately set the coordinates for the landing base. "Activate landing sequence Sigma-48-56. We are going back!"

The three of them gripped the handlebars, eager to get back to the Lunar Observation Base and tell everyone how it all went, but Zach was doing his best not to collapse from exhaustion and overshot nerves. He might've had his thrills with Dosani the old-fashioned way back on Geolyte, but driving a motorbike and playing such a high-stakes puzzle game were on two very different levels of thrilling. He learned his lesson. He would think before trying to be the captain again, and maybe next time, he would actually try to read through all the scientific and technical jargon about how the ship works so he wouldn't have to go through any more nasty surprises again. Either way, he was glad it was all over.

Or so he hoped…

**To be continued…**


	5. The Weight of a Galaxy's Fate

Scene 5: The Weight of a Galaxy's Fate

Finally, the Metamo Ark landed at its docking station, and the moment Zach and friends left through the airtight passageway, their family and friends swarmed them all to congratulate and throw confetti at them. As soon as all the hype died down, Professor Glierce promised to explain the data they've collected if everyone would meet up in the main observation room again. Now that they were all in there, he began.

"Yes, Zach. We made the control interfaces as user-friendly as possible. We wanted to make it so that as soon as you touched the hologram version of a Meteo, the Metamo Ark would transmit an electrical signal that would activate the necessary attraction and repulsion systems between the Meteos on the Metamo Ark and the Meteo outside. As a result, the real Meteo outside would move accordingly. But we also felt that you needed to be able to feel it in some way, so as a very convenient side-effect, only about .01% of the Meteo's elemental energy would be transferred back."

Jody remarked, "So that's why! I could swear those fire blocks felt hotter than the air blocks…"

Professor Glierce continued, "Now, thanks to your efforts, we have managed to learn more about them than ever before. So it seems that they can only be moved vertically, that at least three but no more than five of them can be ignited at once, and that they can be ignited horizontally or vertically. Furthermore, the speed at which these Meteos travel depends on our planet's gravity. Finally, it is possible to create a chain of ignitions if necessary. Very interesting. Good work."

Rick added, "You know, I still get the feeling that if we didn't find all that out on the spot, we'd be done for…and so would Geolyte. What's** with** this Planet Meteo guy, anyway? I mean, trying to blow up our planet? Who does he think he is?"

"Ah yes. About Planet Meteo…" He turned to the front of the room and pulled up yet another picture of the eyeball of a planet, taken just this morning. "Everyone, while we should celebrate our victory today, the truth is…Planet Meteo still remains at large. If today's attack was any indication, then we must conclude that not only is it capable of attacking us again and again, it will become smarter each time and launch longer and more aggressive Meteo Streams."

This completely silenced the room.

"What worries me most is that we may not be able to play just a defensive game forever. Sooner or later, it will send a stream too large for our technology to handle, and that will be the total annihilation of all of us and everything we've worked for. So, in order to prevent such a thing…" He paused for dramatic effect as he brought up a map showing Planet Geolyte's position and Planet Meteo's. "We must think about going straight to the source and defeating it before it has a chance to attack us again."

Everyone was stunned. Then they all started shouting questions at once.

"How are we going to get there?"

"That's, like, a bajillion light-years away!"

"How is it possible to beat it?"

"It shoots those Meteo Streams, right? Doesn't that make it invincible?"

"Who's going to go there?"

"How are they going to get back?"

The professor had to call for quiet in the room yet again before he could continue. "We have already seen evidence that it can be hurt by its own Meteo Streams. The previous accidental ignition and today's attack should wear it down enough for us to defeat it by the time we reach it. Our scientists have already been developing a hyperdrive engine that can cut down the travel time to about 35 days. Furthermore, the amount of time between the attacks on Geolyte has been eight weeks, or 56 days. If we make haste and finish the hyperdrive installation within 20 days or less, we can reach Planet Meteo and destroy it before it has the chance to attack us again. Everyone, go home and think about it tonight. But I still believe that at this point, this is our only option."

Zach acknowledged that though that was the truth, the professor still didn't need to rain on their victory party that quickly.

When he and his mom finally got back to their home, he collapsed on the sofa, again. Mrs. Bandrews thought it would be wise to let him rest for half an hour or so before asking what exactly happened on the Metamo Ark.

"You know what really bit the most about the whole thing?" Zach asked. "Rick and Jody both figured the whole Meteo puzzle thing out faster than I did. And what did I do? I nearly got us all killed from those few piles that stacked too quickly. I dunno, Mom, maybe I was right after all…maybe they're more qualified to be the captain than I am…"

"Zach, honey, don't sell yourself short so quickly! You figured out how to move the Meteos before they did, didn't you?"

"True…but that doesn't change the fact that I nearly…" He threw his arms in the air and let out all his frustrations at once. "Mom! Professor Glierce said it wasn't over yet! We still have to go all the way to Planet Meteo and defeat it, and if I make one little mistake along the way, you, me, and everyone and everything we've ever known will all die! How am I supposed to feel better about something like that? I mean, why can't I just go back to when I could ride on Dosani all day and no one cared? This is the kind of thing that should only happen in movies and video games, I mean, seriously! Why does it have to be that the whole entire fate of the world has to rest on a freakin' **deadbeat** like me?"

Mrs. Bandrews had to think for a long time before she could finally come up with a response for her son. "…You know, Zach…Life is funny. It can choose the most random people and assign them the most random tasks for them to accomplish, and we can't always influence it as much as we'd like…But I think that given how much the past two months have helped you, you're the kind of person who can roll with the punches and make the most of it. I think that this trip will teach you more about whom you really are more than I ever could…and that, who knows, maybe…someday, you'll look back, and you'll be glad that it ever happened at all."

Zach replied, with a playful smile, "Riiiiiight. Unless I die first."

"Hey, I'm sorry I couldn't phrase it any better! I mean, you have a point, Zach. This kind of thing usually DOES only happen in video games and movies. But I'm your mother. I'm **supposed** to give you moral support. Even if it has to do with the end of the world."

They sat there for a long time before Zach finally replied, "…I know. Thanks anyway, Mom. I know you're doing your best, too."

Over the next two weeks, Zach and his mom did everything they could to assist with the hyperdrive installation on the Metamo Ark and prepare about 80 days' worth of food and water to keep the crew going for a round trip. Zach made as much use of Dosani as possible, as he knew that he wouldn't be able to ride the motorbike very much during the interplanetary trip, if at all. He also assisted with the creation of simulation programs that would be downloaded onto the ship so that they could practice their skills in preparation for the battle against Planet Meteo. Above all, he had to learn relaxation techniques from some of his friends and teammates and teach Jody and Rick about them, too. The decision to have Zach continue being the captain of the Metamo Ark might have been relatively unanimous in spite of his poor first battle performance, but he would not accept the job unless his two new best friends were by his side the whole time.

The day to leave the moon and Planet Geolyte behind came all too quickly. Everyone had gathered at the front of the airlock entrance to see Zach, Jody, Rick, and the crew off. Some scientists volunteered to come along too, for the sake of recording down all their new discoveries. They brought some airtight data capsules with them too, in the event that…no. They would win and come back safely no matter what.

"Mom, about that night I ran away..." He paused. "..I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for being such a jerk for all those years. I—I had no idea…"

"That was just you being you at the time, Zach. But thanks for thinking of me anyway."

They hugged as if it were the last time. "You'll be okay on your own, won't you, Mom?"

She smiled and replied, "Sweetie, I'm 51 years old and widowed. You think I don't know a thing or two about independent living?"

"Right, I knew that!" He laughed. "Seriously, though, I'm not going to let Dad's death affect me anymore. I'll become a better man all by myself. I'll make you proud, Mom. And no matter what happens, this time…I **will** come back." Right before he disappeared through the airlock door, pushing Dosani along, he added, "…I promise."

Zach, Jody, and Rick, along with all their teammates and scientists who would help keep the Metamo Ark running all took their positions in the control room, with a clear view of outer space in the window. Zach had Dosani well-secured in the front-left corner of the room, and he hoped that it would serve as a reminder, even in the toughest of times, to never forget of home and what he was fighting for. Finally, Zach took the intercom device and ordered, "Prepare Launch Sequence Alpha-29 and charge up the hyperdrive."

Everyone sat down and buckled themselves in anticipation of hyperspace travel. The airlock corridor down below detached from the ship, allowing it to float in the air slightly. It flew straight away from the Lunar Observation Base, away from the moon, and finally, Planet Geolyte was in view far below. Zach gripped the hyperdrive lever tightly, partly to fight the inertia effects and mostly to be ready as soon as they reached the wormhole spot as soon as they reached the exact position designated by the coordinates. In only a matter of seconds, there would be no turning back. There would be no more communication with Professor James Glierce. They would be completely on their own.

3…2…1…NOW! Zach slammed the charged-up hyperdrive lever as far as it could go. The lever sent a wave of supercharged energy to the outer Meteo Ore layer of the ship. To the front, a whirlpool-like purple wormhole opened, and the Metamo Ark's hyperdrive engines let loose their full power.

And with that, the adventure to save Planet Geolyte from the wrath of Planet Meteo began!

* * *

Meanwhile, in the deep depths of space, Planet Meteo focused its gaze on the starship from Geolyte that was headed straight towards it. _So…those pathetic little Geolytes think they can form a resistance against me? They think they can destroy ME?_ _Ha! _It narrowed its gaze onto the one particular Geolyte that was gripping the hyperdrive lever. _Ah, there's your leader. Your name is Zach Bandrews, eh? If it's a challenge you want, then it's a challenge you'll get. _It silently snickered as it charged up enough energy for 38 more Meteo Streams. _You may have figured out how to move my Meteos, but I have many, many, MANY other surprises in store for you, and I WILL destroy every little planet in this galaxy no matter what you do, especially yours. Heh. Just try and stop me!_

—The End of Act 1—


	6. To Help or Not To Help?

—Act 2: Across the Universe—

Scene 6: To Help or Not To Help?

Torzim Arxley was having a very bad day.

Instead of waking up to the smell of fresh sulfur-filled volcanic smog and high-speed lava currents like he usually did in the morning, he woke up to blaring alarms from the town's evacuation system warning them of strange meteor-like objects that somehow weren't as harmless as the ordinary meteors that would penetrate Planet Firim's airspace from time to time.

Then the meteor-like objects hit, and it was clear that they were more than just meteors.

He had barely managed to avoid getting crushed and joined the crowd at the edge of the town to get a clearer view of them. Wait a second…

"Hey, guys!" Torzim turned to his friends who frequently went stargazing with him. "Don't they look kinda like the meteors that came from Planet Geolyte?"

They squinted. "…Yeah! Now how did they do that again…?"

"I…think they lined them up, like…" Torzim spotted three fire elemental blocks about to land near their area. He leaped into the air and shot a lava stream at one of them, smacking it into the other two. They fused into a rocket and blasted off into the atmosphere.

Awestruck, his friends (and everyone else in the town) started doing so, too. But that was only a few hours ago. The odd meteors wouldn't stop. In fact, they just kept coming faster, and faster, and faster. Soon, there weren't enough townspeople to keep up, and the meteors started stacking up higher and higher…

Then the ground began to rumble. Volcanoes began to belch more steam than usual, and the lava currents shot off in oddly random directions. It was getting harder for Torzim to keep his balance, and he wondered if this nightmare would ever end.

It was a very, very bad day indeed.

* * *

The Metamo Ark had only been in hyperspace for about 30 minutes when alarms started blaring all over the ship. Rick quickly brought up a holographic display at his station to see what the problem was.

"It says here…that Planet Firim is under attack!" He pointed at the diagram of the fiery planet which they were quickly approaching—and in fact, were about to pass.

"Stop the ship!" ordered Jody, pulling the hyperdrive lever back to its starting position. Instantly, the ship exited hyperspace, and everyone who wasn't buckled in (which was about 75% of the crew at this point) flew forward into the glass window. They landed in a sprawling heap.

It took them a while to brush themselves off. "Oooooowww..."

Zach was the first to recover. "Wha…Jody, what was THAT for?" he shouted.

Rick added, a bit nonchalantly, "Yeah, I mean, you could've at least warned us before doing something like, you know, pulling the brakes!"

"What are you guys talking about? Meteos are attacking that planet! And we're the Metamo Freaking Ark! Don't you think it's our duty to help them out?" she snapped back.

Zach looked out the window and saw a few Meteos come back the way they came. "I dunno…it looks like they've got things under control."

Rick narrowed his eyes. "Dude, how'd they learn to do that, anyway? You think they've been watching us or something?"

"Well obviously, it's not working. Look at them!" She gestured towards the planet and the more obvious Meteo stack getting dangerously close to the atmosphere. "They're practically up to their necks in Meteos! Don't you remember what the professor said? If the Meteos stack to the upper limit of a planet's atmosphere**, it's gonna explode!**"

"Yeah?" affirmed Zach. "So don't you think we should, you know, get out of here before—?"

Before he could say another word, Jody leapt and pressed the big green Battle Mode button.

"JODY!" Zach and Rick practically flipped out.

Not that it did much good. The Metamo Ark's outer Meteo Ore layer hovered and began to transform into the exact model-size surface of Planet Firim. Zach groaned before shouting, "Okay, whatever. Battle stations, everyone!"

The crew barely managed to make it back to their stations when both the incoming Meteos and some of the ones that were already on the real Planet Firim switched course and headed straight for them.

The first thing Zach, Rick, and Jody noticed was that their holograms were narrower than usual. "Hey, what gives?" complained Zach.

"I dunno, Zach…" said Rick. "I think it might actually be easier this time…"

SMASH!

But after that first impact that gave them three layers to work with, the Meteos rained down on them much faster than they were used to. "…or not," finished Rick weakly.

"Guys, don't panic. The professor said something about simulating the other planet's gravity," remarked Jody. "Now let's do this!"

"Gotcha." Zach cleared his mind and poured all his focus into the task at hand.

* * *

Torzim and friends looked up in amazement as the Geolytian starship transformed itself into an exact copy of their planet, but much smaller. It was big enough, though, to have the odd meteors change course and stop attacking them. They continued staring in awe as the fake planet not only lined the meteors up by color, but made combos with them. Most of the time, only one ignition would be enough to send the meteors back into outer space where they came from, but when one was not enough, they made another ignition to send it off. They weren't sure how the fake planet was moving the meteors, though…it looked like maybe there were some hidden, but very strong, magnetic forces at work.

Then they remembered the meteor blocks still stuck on their town. "Come on, you guys! We have to help them!" Torzim and his friends generated powerful lava blasts to move the meteors into rows and sometimes columns of three to get them off the planet.

By the time all the meteors had cleared the atmosphere of both the real and fake Firims, the fake Firim transformed and shrunk back to its original starship form, which hovered right above the stunned townspeople. Then the townspeople started clapping and cheering.

"Testing, testing. Hey, is this thing even on?" A loud booming voice from the starship silenced everyone. "Oh. Guess it is." It was Zach's voice, and he had somehow managed to reverse the ship's intercom switch to project sound outside, which he at first didn't think would be necessary, seeing how there's no sound in space. "Um, well, uh…So, yeah. We're from Planet Geolyte, and thought we'd just drop by and help. Sorry if we, um…disturbed you guys…or offended you, or whatever…anyway, looks like everything's under control. You're welcome, and, uh…see ya!" He quickly flipped off the switch and muttered under his breath, "I wonder if they even understood all that," before engaging the hyperdrive to resume its course.

Torzim stared for a long time before finally shouting at the place where the ship disappeared, "…AW, COME ON! You didn't even tell us where you were going!" Then he looked around and asked, "Did anyone get a picture of them?"

* * *

"What was THAT all about?" shouted Jody.

Zach shot back, "No, what was THAT all about?"

"I'm asking why you had to say all that to them!"

"I'm asking why we even bothered to help them in the first place!"

"Because it was the right thing to do, and someday, we might actually be able to meet them for real! We want to make a good first impression, don't we?"

Zach was at a loss for words for a second. Then he shot back, "Y…yeah? Well, what about Geolyte? We can't just forget the mission and help every single little planet that gets attacked along the way! What if Planet Meteo attacks Geolyte while we're distracted helping one of them, and—?"

Rick interrupted them. "Uh, guys?"

They both turned to him. "What?"

"You might want to take a look at this."

They turned their attention to the front monitor that Rick was talking about and saw Planet Meteo being pummeled by the Meteo Stream that was previously attacking Firim. Meteo looked pretty mad, but…

"It looks like every time we turn back a Meteo Stream, Planet Meteo itself becomes weaker. Isn't that a good thing? I mean, by the time we get to it, we don't want to be utterly crushed in half a second, right? And it's good for us to get in some practice, too," he explained.

They were stunned into silence. Then Zach shouted excitedly, "That's genius, man! Why didn't **I **think of that?"

"Told you I was right," Jody smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Bet even you never knew that," countered Zach.

And so, by the time the next alarm blared around the ship around the same time the next day, everyone looked forward to helping the next planet.

Speaking of which, the next one up was Planet Oleana, a 100% ocean planet that made the Meteos move as if they were underwater. In other words, Zach and friends had to stick with horizontal Meteo alignments, as vertical ones sunk immediately. In many ways, the pace was just like on Geolyte, but the Meteos moved quite slowly, making the battle drag on longer than usual. The good thing about that planet was that, like Firim, it had a predominant Meteo element with which they could make ignitions easily, in this case, water. When the battle was over, though, there was no speech to the fish-like Oleanans or anything, as they weren't sure whether the Metamo Ark could stand being submerged in all that ocean water and still have its hyperdrive functions continue to work.

And the day after that, they had to deal with protecting Planet Anasaze, which in many ways was much more difficult than the previous three planets combined. The gravity of the desert planet was even more powerful than Firim's, and they had to make several ignitions before they could clear the planet's atmosphere. In that battle, they actually almost lost when they were up to their necks in a mass that was particularly difficult to launch. But one more vertical ignition was all that was necessary to send the whole thing flying off towards Planet Meteo. Zach was able to make a speech at the end that wasn't much better than his first one, but this time, he really wasn't sure whether or not the Anasazians could understand him. They seemed too preoccupied with floating aimlessly around the deserts and randomly glaring at him while twitching their spikes.

They planned to continue on like this for as many planets as it took to get to Planet Meteo. In the following week alone, they defended the industrial planet Grannest, the floating island among gas planet Megadom, ice planet Freaze, holographic planet Layazero, wind planet Bavoom, jungle planet Boggob, and even yet another industrial planet named Mekks. But no matter how hard the battle became, or how close to annihilation they came to, it was nothing that an excellent dinner and a good night's sleep could cure. Despite having the fates of all these planets resting on their shoulders, the crew swore to remain strong and never buckle under the pressure, no matter what happened.

And then they encountered the planet—or person—who would end up changing everything.

**To be continued…**


	7. Failure is Not an Option

Scene 7: Failure is Not an Option

Meanwhile, about ten planetary sectors ahead of Planet Geolyte, was the Planet Starrii, home to a powerful goddess of the same name. The planet was made of several layers of rings all made of pure marble with a pinkish hue, and lines made of hollow glass carried a glowing pink energy throughout the whole planet. In the very center stood the official temple where Goddess Starrii resided, complete with marble columns much in the style of Greek architecture, as well as smaller dome-shaped houses where the goddess' official Starriian oracles lived. On the outer edges of this central sphere of the planet was where the training fields were located, and here, 15-year-old Lolly Paluteena worked hard to complete the entire training course for the 100th time that day.

"Just…one more…" she gasped, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. She gripped her trademark lollipop-shaped weapon that was about as big as her body and pulled the lollipop part out of the stick part and wound up a throw, aiming for the targets across the field. She swung it like a disc, and as she expected, the disc hit the bullseye square-on.

But she wasn't finished yet. As soon as the disc came back, boomerang-style, she threw it again, and again, and again. All ten targets, all bull's-eyes. Exactly as she'd been trained to accomplish.

Finally, there was the javelin toss. She ran down the other way on the running track to get a head start. When she reached the trampoline at the end, she bounced on it as hard as she could and at the very apex of her jump, threw the stick. Yes! It landed right at the end of the field.

"Did…it…" She collapsed face-first on the marble ground in exhaustion right as the timer went off.

"Lolly!" shouted her 17-year-old cousin Sophitia, rushing up from the sides to help Lolly to her feet. Her mom and dad went to fetch the lollipop disc, while her aunt and uncle retrieved the stick javelin. They helped her back to the house for a well-deserved rest.

Their house was a multi-storied structure, with multiple domes stacked on top of one another. It was where the entire Paluteena family, which included the myriad of cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, little nephews and nieces, and even a few second-cousins, lived.

"Honestly, Lolly, you're working yourself to death! Literally! Can't you give it a rest?" complained Sophitia. She squeezed a cold wet towel over Lolly's head for relief.

"Can't," replied Lolly, lying on the bed. "Unlike you, Goddess Starrii's tests don't come easily to me at all, so I have to work practically ten times as hard as you guys. I can't afford even one mistake tomorrow!"

"Chill out. It wasn't that bad," reassured Sophitia.

"Not for you," griped Lolly. "But everyone's gonna be watching. Aunt Calypso, Grandma Hecuba, Uncle Theseus, everyone! I dunno, Sophitia…" A terrifying thought came into her head, and she hiccupped in dismay. "What if…what if I fail?"

"You won't fail, Lolly. I know it," asserted Sophitia. "All you have to do is take a deep breath, relax, and let it come to you. Don't think about everyone watching, and don't even think about failing. It's simple!"

Lolly shivered. "E—easy for you to say…"

Sophitia sighed in dismay. What could she do to make her little cousin feel better? Almost all the girls in their family had successfully become oracles for Goddess Starrii, including her, yet none of them seemed to have nearly as much trouble as Lolly was at this moment. Why? She eyed her little cousin's trusty lollipop prop which was her namesake, and thought that it was also quite interesting that no one else in their family carried anything around with them, let alone a giant lollipop that was a discus/javelin combo. Right when she wondered whether the two facts were related at all, she got an idea. She then whispered, "Lolly? Remember when you showed me that  
Wind Sailer that you made?"

Lolly's eyes grew wide. "…Yeah? You mean Sigma? What about it?"

"I remember being surprised that you could make your own, when you would need lots of other people to help you out with that. How'd you do that? I mean…why?"

"I dunno…I saw my big brother with one, and thought I'd give it a try…and it was a lot of fun. But with the test being tomorrow, I haven't found the time to—"

"Go."

Lolly looked confused. "Now? It's almost nighttime—"

"If you really like it, maybe you should fly it one last time. You know, before you have to be Goddess Starrii's oracle for life."

Lolly thought hard. Finally, she slipped out of bed and said, "…Well when you put it that way…okay. One last time."

Sophitia smiled. "Enjoy it as much as you can. I'll leave the night light out on the roof for you."

While everyone was asleep, Lolly snuck up to the attic and brought out the Wind Sailer named Sigma that she made a long time ago and tuned up every now and then. She brought it up to the rooftop and made a few adjustments to the board and the protective shell designed to have redirect wind flow away from her face. The glow of the night light was a little dim, but bright enough for her to work by. Finally, she aimed the board so that its hovering mechanism would activate immediately, and hopped on it.

For about two hours, she sailed around the night sky, taking in the marvelous view of the hundreds upon thousands of stars up there. She felt an odd sense of excitement and serenity at the same time. Who knew what wonders were out there?

* * *

The next morning was the day of the test. At the appointed time, Lolly marched onward to Goddess Starrii's temple all by herself, with her signature lollipop weapon in tow. As she climbed the wide stairs leading up to the column-supported temple, she narrowed her focus. Everything she ever did in her life was to prepare for this very day. Like her mother, her grandmother, her aunts, and her cousins including Sophitia, she would follow in their footsteps and become a powerful oracle for their goddess. She couldn't afford to blow it now. Not ever.

She stepped through into the temple's only chamber, its ceiling about 10 times her height. Though the wide-open room carried a mood of isolation, she knew that the entire Paluteena family was watching silently from the sides, on the ground beyond the columns and from the crevices in the rooftop above (if they were already oracles). She stopped right where she was supposed to and turned her head up to the dormant form of Goddess Starrii, who was currently posing as a statue to recharge her energy. But now that Lolly was here, the goddess wouldn't remain dormant for long.

A wave of pink energy glowed from the statue, and Goddess Starrii awoke and freed herself. She floated in the air, still glowing with that intense ethereal light. Lolly had to sharply tilt her head up just to keep her in view.

"Lolly Paluteena. Are you ready?" The goddess spoke with a powerful booming voice that nearly shook the whole area.

Lolly kept her composure and responded, "Yes, ma'am."

"Then begin."

Immediately, energy cannons materialized out of the columns surrounding them. They fired a volley of highly concentrated glowing pink mana orbs at the goddess. Lolly was prepared for this, though, and smacked away all of them successfully with her lollipop weapon while covering the whole perimeter around the goddess. Even though Lolly knew that the goddess could simply absorb them (in fact, the goddess was the one controlling these mana orbs and cannons), she knew that at soon as one touched the goddess, she would fail. She couldn't let that happen.

The cannons stopped firing as soon as they were hit with a deflected mana blast. But then they detached themselves from the walls, hovered, charged towards the goddess. Of course, all of them were floating thanks to Goddess Starrii's advanced telekinetic abilities. Lolly pulled the lollipop off the stick and threw the discus at all the flying cannon, hitting them square-on. She didn't miss a single cannon.

Finally, all the cannons which weren't totaled yet crawled together to form a super machine that acted as a living entity. It roared and charged at Lolly. She quickly spied a weak point, which was a glowing red sensor eye, and charged right back. Right when they were about to collide, she thrust the javelin stick right into the weak spot with all her might and shattered it.

But the test wasn't over yet.

Goddess Starrii telekinetically broke the ground from underneath Lolly's feet, sending her into the air. This was the part of the test that would be random for every participant. Lolly realized that the chunk of ground she was standing on was shaped a lot like Sigma; complete with accelerator and brake buttons.

Once she got the hang of the machine (and the telekinesis wore off), she turned her attention to the mass of stalactites that suddenly started raining overhead. She picked up both pieces of her lollipop weapon, clicked them together, and swatted away all the stalactites that were aiming for the goddess.

Finally, Goddess Starrii let her land and hop off the Wind Sailer imitation. She congratulated, "Very good. But the final test will be the most difficult of all. I shall probe into your mind and see your character and your future at the same time. If I see that someday you shall betray or otherwise fail to fulfill your duties, you will fail immediately. Do you understand?"

Lolly took a deep breath. She stood up straight and replied, "…Yes ma'am."

"Very well."

Lolly squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to cave into the intense psychic pressure that was being forced upon her brain. This was the part of the test that was nearly impossible to prepare for. Success or failure depended entirely on the kind of personality a Starriian had and how strong her sense of duty was. Luckily, Lolly's family had known for almost 15 years that she was a devoted, hard worker who could keep secrets and never betray her friends, so they assured her that this part would be a cinch.

Goddess Starrii saw all these things. She saw that Lolly had an unwavering sense of duty, a strong moral code, and would even die for her if the situation called for it. Good. Then she looked into Lolly's future, of how she would successfully take her place among the oracles…

And she saw a never-ending rain of multicolored meteors that none of them could handle. Not even Lolly. And…was there a ship made of the same meteor ore that passed by the planet just a few seconds before…? The implosion of their world, and a laugh of triumph from an eyeball-shaped planet many, many, light-years away…

No. She couldn't let this future happen. She had to change it somehow. And there was only one way to do so. That one alien, that boy on the ship...

It broke her heart to say this, but it had to be done.

"…You fail."

Lolly's eyes shot open. Her heart skipped a beat. "…What?" she gasped, barely able to breathe.

"In the future, a faraway planet shall attack our world and doom us to extinction, and the one who shall assist it…is you."

Lolly couldn't believe her ears. This had to be a dream. Why would Goddess Starrii say something like that, anyway? Faraway planet? Extinction? What kind of explanation WAS this?

Goddess Starrii shot a beam of mana from her eyes at Lolly, who barely dodged out of the way. The edge beam slightly singed her skin, though. Nope, not a dream, unfortunately.

In dismay, Lolly hopped on the Wind Sailer imitation and zoomed out of there as fast as she could, barely dodging more mana beams. Her head raced. Why? She really would have passed! She should have! She was doing so well, and just had to fail, only at the end, because of some…faraway planet? But it was Goddess Starrii's word, and she was never wrong, so there was no questioning what she said. Lolly then began to panic as to what she should do.

There was no escape yet, though. More mana beams shot from turrets that spontaneously appeared throughout the town. She found that she couldn't maneuver as well as she could've on Sigma, so she quickly flew over to her house, switched the fake one for her real one, and blasted off right as a mana beam hit where she was a second ago, frying the fake one.

She had no choice but to fly high into the sky, away from the range of those beams. But Goddess Starrii would be able to sense her anywhere on the planet. There was only one solution; fly as far away from the planet as possible.

But she remembered the stories from the goddess about how difficult it was for Starriians to breathe all the way up there, so she pulled down Sigma's protective shell to trap in the air. Hopefully, it would enable her to breathe all the way out there.

The scenery changed from the blue sky of day to the black, starry sky that was normally associated with it. But she was too entrenched in misery to notice or care. She thought back to the thousands of cruel and nasty stares drilling their way into the back of her head. Why must so great a punishment be issued for failing that last itty-bitty little part of a test? Simple. Because it was the key to everyone's honor, and failure was a crime punishable by death or banishment. She chose banishment, but she was beginning to wonder whether the former was more desirable. After all, she worked her entire life to pass it, and that was her one and only shot at it. So that must've meant she was a failure and a disgrace to the Paluteena family all this time.

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over her, and she looked up. It was the biggest spaceship she had ever seen in her life, looming over her pitifully tiny one by comparison. It was made from millions of molten rocks as far as the eye could see. Lolly was frightened at first, and desperately looked for a way around it, but stopped when she saw the captain of the ship through the only window that was placed almost conveniently for her.

He was a young man with two big blue horns on either side of his head who still looked very much like a boy, but there was something about him that was special and different from all the Starriian guys she was used to seeing. She flew a little closer, almost unconsciously, and when he finally turned his gaze towards her's, there was no more doubt. He was the one who could make everything all right again…perhaps the one who she was destined for her whole life.

* * *

"Goddess Starrii!" Sophitia finally recovered enough to speak. "Is Lolly…really going to betray us?"

The goddess looked up at her in the rafters and replied, "…No. I cast the dice. Now, we can only wait and hope that what I did was for the better."

**To be continued…**


	8. Space Warrior Lolly

Scene 8: Space Warrior Lolly

Zach just stood there, dumbfounded at the sight of the weird pink-skinned alien girl staring at him outside. She was wearing some sort of Greek toga dress…thingy…and was that a giant lollipop next to her? Why was she looking at him like he was the most fascinating person in the world? All he could utter was, "…Who **is** that?"

Jody and Rick looked up. Then they ran to the window to catch up with Zach. After staring back, all Rick could reply was, "Dude. How should I know?"

But Jody noticed something disturbing. The alien girl looked like she had trouble breathing, and was slowly starting to sink to the floor of her makeshift spaceship. Jody immediately ran over to the computers and locked a scanning program onto the little ship. Confirming her suspicions, the craft was dwindling on oxygen and rising in carbon dioxide levels. "Guys!" she shouted. "She's dying! We have to get her in!"

Rick just stared at Jody in disbelief. "Jody, what if it's one of those face-huggers from the movie—"

"Does she LOOK like a face-hugger to you?"

"No, but—"

"No buts! Activate tractor beam now!"

The tractor beam from an airlock somewhere below the main deck locked onto the weird girl and her ship and dragged them in. Zach explained, "Look, Jody, I know we've decided to help people and all, but I'm the captain, and you guys are co-captains, so if something happens to—"

"Just trust me on this one," interrupted Jody as she called over several members of the crew to assist her. They ran downstairs to the airlock.

"Hang on," noted Zach. "'She' breathes oxygen?"

* * *

Lolly slowly woke up to a bright light, not knowing whether she'd suffocated or not. Then she heard a voice say, "You're going to be okay. Just relax and calm down."

She rubbed her eyes and blinked. Sigma's protective shield was open. So how…? She crawled out to see another of those blue-skinned creatures with horns on the sides of their heads, except that it was a woman, along with several more of them standing a cautious distance behind. "Who…who are you? What are you? Where am I?"

Several of the creatures murmured in surprise that she could talk, but the woman shushed them. "My name is Jody Plimmer. I'm a Geolyte. All of us here are. You're on the Metamo Ark, which is our starship. Your…uh…ship crossed our path, and you looked like you needed some assistance, so…" she trailed off awkwardly.

"That boy…" Lolly began to remember. "Where's that boy that I saw back there?"

Jody looked confused. "What boy?"

Suddenly, Lolly pointed and shouted, "HIM!"

The "boy" in question had apparently just come down to meet them. "What the…? You can talk!" he exclaimed in surprise.

Lolly exclaimed, "You can talk too! Thank goodness, I was worried, because I couldn't hear what you were saying, that is, if you were saying anything, and—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, were you actually trying to hear what I was saying? Sound doesn't travel in space, you know."

"It doesn't?"

"Of course it doesn't!"

Jody interrupted them and exclaimed, "Zach! I thought you said you didn't want to come down!"

Zach shrugged, "Well, I didn't hear you guys screaming in agony, so…"

"Zach? Your name's Zach?" asked Lolly.

He muttered, "Uh, yeah…" then hissed at Jody, "Way to give my name to a total stranger."

"My name's Lolly Paluteena, but you can call me Lolly! Nice to meet you, Zach!" she exclaimed, shaking his hand up and down.

"Uh-huh…" He politely pulled his hand away and discreetly soaked it in a hand sanitizer pouch strapped behind his back. "Look, Lolly, if you're lost, we can take you back home—"

Just then, the alarm system blared, scaring the living daylights out of Lolly. "What?" she shouted, cowering back into her ship. "What is it?"

"It's the alarm system," explained Zach. "It tells us when a nearby planet is being attacked." He then ran up the stairs, along with Jody and all the other Geolytes.

"W…wait for me…!" Lolly wailed and ran after them, carrying her lollipop with her.

When she arrived at the main deck, she realized that this was the spot she was staring into before she nearly suffocated. She saw Zach, Jody, and some other guy she didn't know bring up magically floating pictures above their consoles or whatever they were. "A planet is being attacked? Which one?" she asked.

Zach replied, "Apparently, it's called Planet Starrii. Odd name for a planet, huh?"

Lolly gasped in fright.

"What?" he asked.

"That's MY home!"

Stunned silence. Then Lolly ran to the window, and upon seeing Planet Starrii below, she pounded the window and shouted, "Let me out, let me out! It's my duty to help protect Goddess Starrii down there!"

Jody said, "Calm down, calm down! Look, Lolly, we'll do our best to defend your home planet from the Meteos. That's what this ship is for. Watch and learn."

Beyond Planet Starrii, Lolly could see what they were talking about: a massive stream of multicolored meteors headed right for it. Then Zach pressed a glowing green button on his console, and immediately, the window was covered by a mass of the kind of rocks she saw that was the ship's hull. Many more of those colorful pictures popped up to illuminate the darkness, showing what was happening outside. To her surprise, the rocks were forming into the exact same landscape that she had always known and loved, but a smaller version of them.

"Wha…wha…wha…?" she exclaimed in utter confusion.

"This ship can turn into a mini version of the planet under attack," explained Zach. "It drags the Meteos—those colored block things—away from your home planet and to us, where we can deal with them."

"How?" she asked.

"Watch this."

Sure enough, the mass called Meteos instantly switched course away from the real Planet Starrii and went straight for the ship. Lolly bit her lip to stop herself from screaming and raised her lollipop as a shield.

SMASH!

Though there was an impact on the ship, nothing seemed to crash through. But the three screens suddenly had colored blocks on them. Was that what Zach was talking about?

What she saw next nearly made her jaw drop.

The three of them expertly aligned the colored blocks in rows of three, and whenever they did so, the blocks would fuse and blast off to the top of the screen. Multiple ignitions helped it go all the way. Furthermore, the screens on the main window showed exactly what was going on out there. She was amazed to find herself in the midst of a planetary rescue team with almost as much power as—maybe even a lot more than—Goddess Starrii. She really wanted to join them now. After observing the little game for a bit longer, she knew what she had to do. "Guys! I can help you!" She then ran off to the airlock to find Sigma.

"Lolly, wait!" But Jody, Zach, and Rick couldn't stop her. They were too busy trying to save the ship.

Lolly found Sigma and the airlock, and went straight for the airlock's door handle. She twisted the lever to the left as hard as she could until it finally opened. The resulting air sucked her and Sigma right out.

* * *

"Captain, Airlock 1 has disengaged!" shouted one of the crew members.

"What? Well, go get someone to close it! We're kinda busy here!" replied Zach.

Rick pointed at the big screen. "No way."

For Lolly was out there, dodging the Meteos as she went.

* * *

She barely managed to hop on Sigma in time to avoid being crushed by the Meteos. She swerved up and down, left and right, until finally, she could predict where and when they were coming. It also helped that she knew much of the landscape already, despite the fact that there was no Goddess Starrii, and that the landscape was much smaller than she was used to. However, there was also the factor of Zach and his team making ignitions with the Meteos. If she wasn't careful, she could be stuck on top of one and end up being taken above the atmosphere, where there would surely be no air. But she was determined to do anything to get them to allow her in.

She soon realized that this was very much like that next-to-last stalactite test that Goddess Starrii had given her. Had she foreseen the need, even then? Nah. Probably just a coincidence. Lolly found three blocks that were of the same color, yet far away from each other, and used her lollipop weapon to smack them into each other. Yes! They ignited!

"Whoa! I didn't know you could do that!" shouted Zach's voice.

"Huh? I thought I couldn't hear you before!" she replied.

"That's 'cause there's air now! Sound travels through air, you know?"

Lolly barely dodged another Meteo strike. "Sorry! I'll get back to work!"

Before long, though, an unusually high stack of Meteos reached the sky and started to cause an earthquake. Amidst the shouts she could hear, she heard Zach clearly shout, "Not again!"

She immediately made a beeline for it and smacked every single block out of the tower, making ignitions with some lucky landings. She heard Zach visibly sigh in relief. It made her feel relieved, too; relieved that she was doing something right.

Soon, after the Meteos stopped raining down, the remaining Meteos began to be absorbed into the surrounding landscape. Zach shouted, "Lolly! We're done! Now get back in here unless you want to suffocate again or something!" She followed his advice and quickly found the airlock door, opened it, and hopped back in right as the air disappeared and the landscape became the rocky hull of the ship again.

They rushed to meet each other and met on the stairs. "That was so cool! Where'd you learn to do that?" raved the guy they called Rick.

"Thank you for helping us out! Seriously!" added Jody.

"Um…guys?" asked Lolly. They all quieted down. "Since I did so well, uh…can I please join you guys?"

Stunned silence.

"A…are you sure you want to do that?" asked Zach. "We probably have, like, 27 more planets to go before we fight big bad Planet Meteo."

"Didn't you want to go back home?" asked Jody.

"NO!" shouted Lolly.

More stunned silence.

"I failed the oracle test there, and Goddess Starrii's gonna kill me if I go back! It's not fair…I trained my whole life for this, and…" She started to cry.

"No way," gasped Rick. "If they tried to kill me every time I failed a test, I'd be—" Zach elbowed him and gave him a hard look.

Jody gasped. "I'm sorry, Lolly…I didn't know…"

"So can I please, please, pleeeeeeeaaaaaaase join? I promise I'll do my best to help you guys out! I swear!" She stared at Zach pleadingly.

Rick turned to Zach and said, "Well, Zach? You're still the main captain. What do you say?"

Zach was at a loss for words as he tried to process everything that happened. Okay, so maybe this Starriian had a girly-sounding name and a ridiculous candy prop, and acted like she put too much stock into this goddess person or whatever, but at the same time…she could actually help save them from a lot of really close calls. And besides, she knew how to ride an airboard, and could probably teach him, too.

He smiled and held out his hand. "What do you know? You **are** a real Space Warrior after all. Welcome aboard, Lolly."

It was the happiest moment of Lolly's life.

* * *

After all the hype died down from the welcoming party for Lolly, though, Jody remarked, "You know, Lolly, your planet's quite lucky."

Lolly looked confused. "Why?"

"Because Zach wanted to try going to the places that Planet Meteo would likely attack earlier than usual to see if we could get there without being so pressed for time. But if you hadn't come along, he would've gotten bored, and ordered us to go on right before the Meteos attacked."

**To be continued…**


	9. Realization

Scene 9: Realization

That evening, the crew of the Metamo Ark gathered around for dinner as usual, and it wasn't until everyone at the table was seated that they realized they forgotten to foresee a potential complication as soon as Lolly walked into the room to see what was going on.

"Uh…uh-oh," said Zach. He turned in his seat at the head of the table to face her direction.

"What? What is it?" asked Lolly.

"Um…you're a Starriian, right?"

"Yeah? So?" She was too busy staring at the multitude of mashed potatoes, steak, green beans, cheeseburgers, and most especially, the strawberry cake dessert sitting in the middle of the table.

Zach stammered, "Well…this is Geolytian food…and, uh…maybe you can't eat these—?"

Right at that very moment, Lolly jumped over everyone's heads to grab a bit of everything and stuff it all in her mouth. "Mmm. Mmmmmm! Thish ish sho good! It's—"

"Don't talk with your mouth full of food!" admonished Jody. She ran to grab an extra seat and wedged it into a relatively empty space near Zach, herself, and Rick. "Here. Sit here."

Lolly swallowed it all and sat down in the seat. "Sorry. But we usually don't have anything nearly this good back at home. I mean, Goddess Starrii would practically kill us if she saw us eating food with THIS much flavor in it!"

Zach asked, "But…you CAN eat it, right?"

"Of course! It's not like it's poison or anything."

Later, though, she ended up collapsing face-first into the table. "Lolly!" shouted Zach as he sat up immediately to help.

"It's okay…" she mumbled. "Just too much salt…need…water…"

He grabbed the pitcher in the middle of the table and refilled her glass, which was empty already. "You know, you're allowed to do this yourself."

She perked up instantly, said "Oh, okay. Thanks…" and gulped the whole thing down in one sip. Zach had to refill it again.

"I'm fine, honestly. Just the bread is okay."

The cook made a mental note to leave out all the salt in dishes that Lolly would eat from then on.

* * *

As for beds, unfortunately, there were only enough for the Metamo Ark's crew, so Lolly had to use Sigma as a makeshift bed. But at least they managed to find an extra sheet, blanket, and pillow.

The next morning, they came across Planet Florias, and Zach was struck by the sheer multitude of flowers on it, especially when the Metamo Ark had to transform into it so they could protect the real one from the Meteo Stream.

"Ugh…Please say all that pollen will stay outside…" he shivered.

Luckily, Lolly didn't have any allergies to pollen whatsoever, so she could go out there with no problem at all. In fact, she went for the pink zoo elements a lot more enthusiastically than Zach…so much so that she pretty much repelled the assault all by herself.

"See? I told you I'd help!" she said when she came back in, after the Biohazard Cleanup Room removed all the pollen from her and the airlock chamber.

Zach felt more relaxed than he had ever remembered being, especially after such intense battles as these, and he smiled. "Yeah. That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard."

Together with Lolly, the crew of the Metamo Ark was able to successfully defend the next 17 planets on the route to Planet Meteo. They handled ultra-difficult electrical planet Wiral, creepy gooey magma planet Jeljel, twin moons Luna=Luna, gas planet Brabbit, giant bubble planet Vubble, space colony Suburbion, frozen-in-rotation planet Dawndus in the next week. And in the week after that, they dealt with ultra-blindingly bright planet Lastar, purple vortex planet Gigagush, cavern planet Cavious, interdimensional light planet Thirnova, thunderhead planet Yooj, molten iron block planet Hotted, and canyon planet Forte. And even giant tree-planet Wuud and living organism planet Globin, as well. The Seven Sages of Planet Hevendor, on the other hand, could handle their Meteo Steam quite easily thanks to their tremendous psychic powers that when combined were more powerful than Goddess Starrii's could ever be. As a result, the Metamo Ark's crew was able to skip that planet.

But though the gravity and ignition mechanics differed wildly from planet to planet, the results were the same. With Lolly's help, Zach, Rick, and Jody felt a weight lift off their shoulders. They no longer had to worry about being blown up or that the fate of both the planet below and Planet Geolyte back home would be sealed if they messed up even a little bit. As a result, they were able to focus more on being real masters of Meteo ignitions, and with each planet, they learned new techniques for clearing the Meteo Stream as quickly as possible. Soon enough, they mastered it to the point where they could make multiple ignitions among the very bottom, connect all the columns, and send the whole mass flying into the air, stopping all the incoming Meteos in the stream.

After every battle, both before and after dinner, Lolly would talk with Zach and the crew. They first explained Planet Meteo and everything they found out about the evil planet. Then they talked about how they discovered that Meteos in fact played a vital part in the creation of all the planets in the galaxy. Planet Meteo was just abusing them. Finally, they went over the story of how they all were recruited to build the Metamo Ark.

Lolly, however, paid the most attention whenever Zach spoke, especially of his story. She could remember everything about the day he discovered that Meteos could ignite if lined up in three's, about how he started a new purpose-filled life on the moon, when he first got Dosani and rode on it every day, and more. But she was visibly concerned when she heard that ever since his father died, his life had no meaning, and that he was pretty much a deadbeat before all this happened. She dismissed it as a difference in cultures between planets, though.

And Zach noticed something else. Every time he talked to Lolly afterwards, he noticed how his stress levels dropped even farther than they were during the battle, so he actually began to look forward to those times. Eventually, he told so much about his own life that he became genuinely curious about Lolly's, especially when he realized that she never mentioned anything about it yet.

"Hey, Lolly?"

"Yeah, Zach?"

"What's it like on Planet Starrii? I don't think you've ever told me."

She blinked. "Oh yeah, you're right! I didn't. Wow. Where should I start?" She adjusted herself to get a better position on the couch.

"You can start with what you guys do."

"Goddess Starrii. Everything revolves around Goddess Starrii. She lives in the middle of the planet, and all the girls want to be her official oracles."

Zach paused for a moment to take all that in. "Whoa. What about the guys? What do they do?"

"I dunno. Write love poetry, I guess. There aren't that many of them. In fact, I was surprised to find that there are a lot of guys on this ship. About half the crew, I think? Is it like this on Planet Geolyte?"

"Uh-huh. We're pretty much a 50-50 society, you know," explained Zach. "Why? What's the proportion on Starrii?"

Lolly thought for a second. "Proportion? About 75-25. That's probably why all the girls want to be oracles, now that I think about it."

Zach's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know! How is 50-50 possible?"

Zach chuckled and replied, "Well, you got me there. I'm no Bio major. Ask one of the scientists or something." He cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, what about you? You mentioned something about a test back then…"

"Yeah, I'm no love poetry writer, either. I'm a real girl; I wanted to be an official oracle, naturally. So I trained every day, day in and day out, with my lollipop here—"

"Yeah, I don't get that. Why DO you always carry that lollipop with you around, anyway?"

She lifted it up and let him examine it. "They say Grandma Hecuba got it for my mom and dad to celebrate the day I was born. And they say that I kept trying to bite it or something, and they thought it was funny, so they decided to name me Lolly. Anyway, it's discus and a javelin all in one, which was really convenient, and I used it to train every day."

"And you…the test…" He asked as casually as he could, "Why did you fail?"

"I'm not sure myself…" she replied. "I passed the combat test, the discus throw, the javelin toss, and even the surprise Wind Sailer trail…but the last one, where she scanned my brain…and my future…"

Zach gulped, "Wait, What? She can tell the future?"

"She said something about…how I would betray her really soon…" She thought back to the day she flew away from the planet, how she suddenly came across the Metamo Ark, how she saw Zach's face behind the window, how quickly she begged to join them…and it all made sense. She realized she immediately forgot about Goddess Starrii except for when the Meteos were attacking. And right after that, she forgot about her again, all because of…

"ZACH!" She snatched her lollipop away from him and pointed it at him threateningly. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" she screeched angrily.

"WHAT? What'd I do?" he protested.

"She said I'd betray her really soon because she saw you coming, and that I'd join you guys and forget all about her! Rule #1: An oracle is always supposed ignore her own needs and place Goddess Starrii's above all. But no, you just had to be standing there, behind the window, LOOKING at me like that, and made me forget everything I've ever worked for!"

"HOW IS THAT MY FAULT?"

"You wouldn't understand! You've never had anything to work for in your life! You just messed around with that Dosani thing and didn't care how you were making things worse for your mom! In fact, you've never had a goal of your own until these Meteos started coming down on your home planet, so don't tell me whose fault it is when I know for a fact it's yours!"

"Yeah, so my dad died when he promised he'd get me Dosani, so what? And besides, didn't you say all the girls wanted to be oracles? Why didn't you want to be yourself and get a goal of your own, like you said I should do?"

That was the last straw. "Leave me ALONE!" She brought the lollipop down on Zach's head, hard. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Lolly hopping on Sigma and heading straight for the airlock.

* * *

When Zach woke up, Rick was shaking him awake. "Zach! Zach! C'mon, man, wake up already!"

"…Rick? What happened…?"

"It's Lolly. She jumped out the airlock. While we were in hyperspace!"

Zach finally noticed the ship's crew running back and forth, and the general commotion going on. Then he finally remembered. "WHAT? Well, where is she?"

"That's what we're still trying to find," Rick answered.

Just then, Jody caught up to them, "Zach? I heard shouting—Whoa! Your horns…What happened to you?"

Zach rubbed the bruises that must've been visible on both of his horns. "Lolly smacked me upside the head. I think I accidently ticked her off or something…"

"What? Well, what'd you say?" Jody asked indignantly.

"Chill out. It was something about how she failed the future-seeing test on Planet Starrii, and that it was somehow my fault, and I broke her loyalty to her goddess…" He paused. "I mean, honestly! How could it take her this long think of something like THAT?"

Jody looked troubled. "I don't know. But right now, we've got to find her."

Rick helped Zach up and said, "We're searching all around the general coordinates where she escaped. But so far, no luck."

"And don't worry, Zach. We'll do everything we can to clear up this misunderstanding."

As they helped him up to the main deck, questions spun around in Zach's head, as well as the grim feeling that the happiness he was finally beginning to discover was wrenched so cruelly away from him in only a second. Back on Planet Geolyte, he never had much luck with girls at all, not even as friends (besides Jody), but this time, he honestly thought he had a chance. He sighed in dismay. It looked like he had even worse luck with alien girls after all.

**To be continued…**


	10. Lolly's Dilemma

Scene 10: Lolly's Dilemma

Lolly opened the airlock door and hopped on Sigma, closing its newly-upgraded protection lid that could produce oxygen. The scenery outside was one of millions of stars shooting by at a breakneck speed, almost blurring them into bright white lines, whilst outer space wasn't pitch-black at all, but a rainbow of colors. It was the wall of the wormhole of hyperspace.

As soon as she charged out, though, the scenery all disappeared. The stars became still again, and outer space returned to its normal pitch-black color. The Metamo Ark had already disappeared behind her in less than half a second.

But she didn't care where she was at the moment. She flew around aimlessly, trying to shake her feeling of disgust. All that mattered was that she was away from there, the place that was so inviting at first but whose coming destroyed everything she ever worked for. After all, Goddess Starrii had said that Lolly would betray her in the near future, and she was never wrong. Lolly gritted her teeth. Why didn't she recognize it when the Metamo Ark arrived? Because she was too distracted by Zach's awesome…how was he awesome again? Ridiculous. If she couldn't even recognize a simple sign like that, she was more unqualified than ever to be Goddess Starrii's new oracle.

Problem was, she desperately wanted to be. She had to be. All her life, she trained day in and day out whenever she got a chance. Everyone knew that real girls took up that job. It was the only honorable thing to do. Only the 1/3 least qualified were automatically excluded from the oracle training process, her mom being one of them. What was more troubling was that she just barely avoided this cut off line, that though she was in the top 2/3, she remembered being told that she was near the bottom, and it was that revelation that spurred her to train harder than ever, despite the difficulties. She was destined to be. How could she suddenly fail?

Then she remembered what Zach said. "Didn't you say all the girls wanted to be oracles? Why didn't you want to be yourself and get a goal of your own, like you said I should do?" A goal of her own? What could it be? She trained all her life to be an oracle. There couldn't possibly be any other option. This wasn't Planet Geolyte, where people had too many options on what to do with their future, or in Zach's case, where people could wander aimlessly. But then again…

This wasn't Planet Starrii anymore, either.

But what could she do? She just jumped off the Metamo Ark, and the oxygen would last for only a few weeks at most. She could try to find a planet of sorts, but would they even accept her? And without the hyperdrive, there was no way she could go anywhere else without a trip that would take too long.

Almost as if to prove her point, a planet loomed right up in front of her. It was an eyeball-shaped planet much like Planet Meteo, except that it was flattened, and looked to be made of metals instead of molten Meteos. She glanced at a nearby asteroid chunk, and gasped in surprise as it suddenly zoomed toward the planet and was flattened upon impact.

Planet Gravitas. She remembered from the mission briefings about the planets that were likely to come up next. Looks like this one wouldn't be under attack if the Metamo Ark flew past it…unless it would be attacked sometime much, much later, that is. A planet with super-intense gravity. There was no way she could be like the Gravitases who lived there; she would be crushed upon entering its gravitational field. She backed up reflexively, but then stopped.

"But what other choice do I have?" she whispered. "If I tried, maybe I could at least be like them…if I tried."

She moved Sigma forward…

_STOP._

"Huh? Who said that?" She backed away in shock. "Where are you?"

_No need to be frightened. I want to help you._

Lolly looked out the protective window all around her, but she couldn't find where the telepathic voice was coming from. Whoever it was, its telepathy was much stronger than Goddess Starrii's, and it frightened her to know that beings that powerful could actually exist. Then she looked at the planet below. "You? Planet Gravitas? Or someone down there?"

The voice snickered. _No, no, no. My, Lolly, you come to the most unusual conclusions!_

"How do you know my name?" she asked, even though she was vaguely aware of the answer from the pounding in her brain.

_I can read your mind. Obviously. And no, I'm not down there. I'm somewhere else. Far away. Anyway, let's not worry about me, hm? Let's talk about you._

"Wh—what about me?" she stammered.

_You're quite upset at a…certain someone…are you not? He was the one who made you fail on the day that was most important to you, correct? Well, here is my proposition. Instead of crushing yourself with Planet Gravitas' gravity and ridding the universe of such amazing potential as yourself, why don't you plot revenge against the miscreant?_

"Revenge? I—I've never thought of that…I mean, they taught us that forgiveness is better—"

_BLAST forgiveness! Of course I know that! That's why I suggested it in the first place! My point is, I can help you get your life back. I have enough power to convince Goddess Starrii to accept you as an oracle…_

She didn't deny it. After all, the telepathic pressure was almost enough to crush her brain.

…_if you allow me to assist you in your revenge against him. It'll be easy. Just follow everything I say, and it shall all work out in the end._

She thought hard. Whoever this voice was, it seemed to have something against Zach… "You mean you want me to kill Zach," she concluded.

_That's exactly it. Zach Bandrews. That's the man._

"Did he do anything to you too?"

_Oh, it doesn't even compare to what he did to you. He never had the decency to keep his nose out of other beings' business, after all. Such as yours._

Something came to Lolly's mind just then. Zach might have been there when she ran away from Goddess Starrii's wrath…but he never actually did anything. He was just **there.** Now that she thought about it, Goddess Starrii predicted Lolly's actions and not Zach's. So in actually, it was Lolly's fault that her whole life was ruined. Could she really face that truth?

But it became undeniable when she considered everything Zach did over the past three weeks. He never actually did anything bad. In fact, he was really nice to everyone, even her, and was an especially hard worker. Who was this voice, and why could it possibly have such a vendetta against Zach? This dreadful aura…she could almost sense it the first time the Metamo Ark's crew showed her a certain picture…

Finally, she figured it out. "You're…you're Planet Meteo, aren't you?"

She could feel it twitch.

Though the menacing aura suddenly multiplied in strength and scared her, she had to go on. "That's why you hate Zach so much. Because he's been saving planets that you're trying to destroy! You even tried to destroy MY home planet and kill Goddess Starrii! No way you're trying to help me at all! How could I trust someone like you who doesn't even care about any other planet in the galaxy, huh?"

_I never said…you would have a choice._

From out of nowhere, a Meteo Stream appeared and clamped down on Sigma, almost as if the stream was a living thing. "WHAT? I didn't know you could do that! Let me out!" she shouted, banging on the glass.

_There's much about me that neither you nor Zach knows. You forget, I am Planet Meteo. I control them all! And by the way, I hate you just as much as Zach, you little accomplice. This is what you get for being too smart._

She struggled as hard as she could to get the Wind Sailer to budge, but the Meteos' grip was too tight. They were starting to enter a wormhole…

_You're coming…with ME!_

**To be continued…**


	11. The Final Stretch

Scene 11: The Final Stretch

"What's wrong, man? You've lost your edge."

Rick was right. In the past battle defending Planet Gravitas alone, which should've been an easy planet since it only took two ignitions to make the Meteos go flying away instantly, he had to help Zach out several times whenever Zach lost his focus.

"Nothing's wrong, Rick. I'm fine," he replied.

"You're not fine at all," insisted Jody. "It's Lolly, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters, you're too used to her being there helping us out. I can totally tell. Plus…" She winked. "It was so obvious that you guys couldn't get enough of talking to each other."

"Hey, cut it out!" complained Zach.

Jody got serious again. "Look, Zach, we all miss her as much as you do. A lot. She was pretty much one of us now, like a big, happy family just like her own. But you can't just stand there moping around forever. Now, more than ever, we can't lose our focus. We're only 8 planets away from the big battle with Planet Meteo, and if we fail to protect even one of them, Geolyte is done for. Don't ever forget what we're fighting for, all right?"

Zach glanced to Dosani in the corner, and the motorbike made him think back to the promise he made to his mom…that he will come back again. That's right. No time for moping. This was what the mission is really for. "…All right, guys. Tomorrow, we'll do it!"

And it was a good thing he got his focus back; the remaining eight planets were some of the most difficult they've ever had to deal with. They had to defend the disco ball-shaped planet Lumious, the kitten paradise planet Limotube, the asteroid snake-home of Arod, the honeycomb planet Hanihula, the maximum-security prison planet Dejeh, the dark pyramid-shaped planet Darthvega, the ninja-star-shaped planet Geyler, and finally, the piñata-shaped planet Ranbarumba.

Upon successfully saving Planet Ranbarumba, Zach still couldn't help but think that Lolly would've enjoyed it. It had a ton of grass and zoo elements, after all.

To their surprise, the Ranbarumbans managed to figure out the radio frequency of the Metamo Ark, and invited them for a celebration dance. Feeling worn out and weighed by the fact that tomorrow would be the day they fight Planet Meteo, Zach suggested that they take the natives up on their offer.

They danced to Samba-themed victory music the rest of the afternoon. That night, Jody and Rick found Zach in the main deck, double-checking the integrity of the holographic projection machines.

"Yo, Zach. Whatcha doing?" asked Rick.

Jody added, "Get some sleep, Zach. We've gotta be ready for tomorrow."

"Sorry, guys," he apologized. "Just wanted to make sure our equipment wouldn't malfunction during the final battle, you know. Wow…"

"What?" they asked.

"The final battle, isn't it? The day we've all been waiting for. How much do you think Planet Meteo's been weakened by our attacks?"

"I hope it's enough for us to handle," replied Jody. "Now come on."

"How can I sleep when it's going to be the final battle? If we mess up—"

Jody interrupted him, "We're not gonna mess up. We'll win and come back home as heroes. Trust me on this one."

Rick added, "Dude, how are you not tired? Did you actually do any dancing with the Ramba-room-bians earlier—? Gah! They're hard to pronounce."

Zach chuckled, "Yeah. I recover fast, though. Anyway, goodnight, guys…and thanks. You guys are the best co-captains I could ever hope for. Seriously."

* * *

The next morning, everyone on the Metamo Ark steeled themselves for the coming battle. As the ship left the planet's atmosphere, the Ranbarumbans all waved goodbye and wished them good luck. The tropical party-type gifts the crew received from them were nice, but they wouldn't be able to enjoy them until after the battle was over.

Zach, Rick, and Jody all stood in full alertness as the three of them pulled the hyperdrive lever that would take them straight to Planet Meteo. Who knew what tricks the evil planet would have up its sleeve (assuming it even had a figurative sleeve, that is)? It was the master of the Meteos, after all. They would have to be ready for anything.

The trip through the hyperspace of the wormhole felt even slower than usual. They all had the eerie feeling that at any moment, Planet Meteo would somehow stop the ship, or launch a surprise attack, or something like that.

"It's too bad Lolly isn't here for this," sighed Zach. "I really wish she could be here with us now."

Rick groaned. "Not Lolly again…Besides, we all counted on the fact that it would be just the three of us and our crew who would be facing the final battle, remember?"

"She was a good friend…" remarked Jody. "But we can't let her loss distract us. The best we can hope for is that we made a difference in her life for the better. We've got to make sure that her services here weren't in vain."

The whole crew stood in silence for the rest of the time. Finally, 30 minutes later, the ship exited hyperspace.

And there floated the bane of all galactic existence. Planet Meteo. Its gaze glared straight at Zach and the Metamo Ark, much more powerful and intimidating in real life than in the pictures they were used to seeing. The red aura encompassing it made it seem even more massive. But Zach and his co-captains didn't let any of that distract them. This was it. The final battle. As Zach pressed the Battle Mode button for what he hoped was the last time, he remarked, mostly just to calm his nerves, "I knew it. I knew you would be here…Planet Meteo!"

_And I knew you Geolytes were coming, especially you, Zach Bandrews._

Zach was taken aback, even as darkness settled upon the main deck and the light from the holograms lit the room up. "Wha—? You can talk? You know my name?"

_It's called telepathy, you idiots. I can read your minds, too._

Jody shivered. "I can hear what it's saying, too…"

"It can read our minds?" asked Rick, still not quite believing it.

_Heh heh heh. That's right. That means no matter what strategies you've come up with, I can counter them all. All the more reason you should turn around right this very second and let ME be the all-powerful ruler of this universe. No amount of mimicry you do can ever be like me. I am the true master of the Meteos. _

Zach shouted, "C'mon, guys, keep it together! We've made it this far! We can't go back now! Think of everything we're fighting for! Not just our home, but all the planets we've ever visited! And remember Lolly? We won't meet anyone like her again if we don't do this for them! We can't win unless we try!" He glanced at Dosani in the corner, remembered the promise to his mom, and focused on the hologram projections at his station. "We're going to stop this guy once and for all!"

It seemed to work. The crew's morale rose back up, and they set to work again while keeping track of the hull's damage levels. Rick and Jody turned to their holograms and braced themselves for action.

_Hm? Heh. Well, before you get too cocky, little boy, there's something I'd like to show you. Zoom in on your monitors at Quadrant 2, Section 009, Area 72. You'll see what I mean._

The crew wasn't sure whether to follow the evil planet's instructions or not, but Zach whispered, "It's okay. Let's see what it's talking about." They brought up an extra floating hologram screen that zoomed in on the selected coordinates…and came across a view of a certain Wind Sailer wedged deep in Planet Meteo's molten chambers, and inside of it was…

"LOLLY!" everyone shouted, too stunned to ask how she got there.

_Surprised? Naturally. She has proven to be quite useful in learning all of your secrets, which is why I know about your coordinate system. Well? What's to stop me from disabling your Meteo Repulsion systems, turning off your holograms, and leaving you in complete darkness, eh?_

The evil planet glowed with a brilliant white light as it charged up the biggest Meteo Stream it ever could.

One of the crewmembers glanced at the energy readouts of Planet Meteo and shouted, "It's energy levels are still 95.7%!"

Jody gasped, "But how? We shot 39 Meteo Streams away from all the planets back to Planet Meteo…didn't we?"

_The real question here, _boomed Planet Meteo, _is, will you even be willing to kill me when doing so would clearly kill your beloved little Lolly Paluteena, too? Well? _It sneered. _Make your choice, Zach Bandrews._

And then it shot its Meteo Stream right at them.

—The End of Act 2—


	12. Betrayed?

—Act 3: Vs. Planet Meteo—

Scene 12: Betrayed?

Zach's fists clenched. "Lolly…"

SMASH! The impact of the three rows of Meteos was much more powerful than any other impact the Metamo Ark crew had ever experienced. It knocked everyone back, forcing them to scramble back up to their computers. Jody and Rick looked at Zach, worried about how he would react.

To their surprise, he shouted, "…YOU TRAITOR!" and madly started launching Meteos right at the evil planet.

Though Jody and Rick couldn't believe that Lolly could really be a traitor and hoped that this was some sort of illusion or ruse, they decided to go along with Zach. After all, he was the main captain, and they didn't get all the way here just to hesitate during the final battle.

Planet Meteo was a bit surprised, but it chuckled anyway. _Nevertheless, this should be interesting._

* * *

"Zach! Zach, stop! He's tricking you guys! I'm not on his side at all!" shouted Lolly, pounding on Sigma's covering.

_Foolish child, _gloated Planet Meteo. _Didn't he tell you? Sound doesn't travel in space. Furthermore, my temperature is 1,007,500 degrees. Even if you were to break out, you would be immolated instantly._

"I don't care," she growled back. "This is **wrong, **you dirty coward! Now LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Planet Meteo sighed. _Now what was that Geolytian saying again…? "All's fair in love and war"? Ah, yes. In case you haven't noticed…THIS…IS…WAR!_

Lolly wouldn't let Planet Meteo's telepathic shouts keep her down, though. She continued to struggle and fight for a way out, even as the Meteos from the Metamo Ark started to rain down around her.

_And I shall demonstrate to you how true that really is._

* * *

The three of them suddenly paused and stared at the three rows of Meteo blocks on their screens in shock. These didn't look like the Meteos they were used to seeing at all. They were all black, and they all had moving images on them made of light pulses, or maybe some kind of optical illusion. Not just any moving images. They were symbolic representations of the inhabitants of many of the planets they had come across. The grass element blocks had pictures of Boggobians on them, the fire element blocks had Jeljelians on them, the water element blocks had Oleanans of them, and so forth. Though it disturbed them that the zoo element blocks had pictures of Starriians on them, reminding them uncomfortably of Lolly, that wasn't the worst of it. It was the dark element blocks. The pictures might have been merely stick figures with horns, but there was no denying it. The color was a pitch-black shade of blue. They were Geolytes.

Them.

"W—well of course it thinks we're evil…it's just trying to mess with our heads, just like with that telepathy stuff…" stammered Zach. "A—anyway, let's do this."

"R—right…" Jody and Rick replied. They didn't like the prospect that they would be forced to look at all those pictures in order to tell which element was which. It would be like murdering people. Especially the Geolytes.

But right when they got their acts together and focused on their screens, Planet Meteo blinked, and a blue shockwave of some sort emanated from its eye. The shockwave washed over the entirety of the Metamo Ark, or more specifically, the fake Planet Meteo. The crew braced for impact…but nothing happened. Except that the air looked a little more blue than usual…

Jody asked, without taking her eyes off of the screen, "Hey, guys? Does the air in here feel different all of a sudden, or what?"

Right then, though, the Meteo Steam on their screens started raining Meteos down at an extremely fast rate…at least 10 times faster than what they were ever used to.

"Whoa whoa WHOA! What is this?" shouted Zach, scribbling aimlessly on the screen, something he hadn't done ever since his first battle.

One of the crewmembers gasped, "Th—the clock…!"

Zach and his co-captains glanced at the digital clock readouts on their usual places on the holograms, and to their shock, the seconds—no, the minutes—were scrolling by at a much faster rate.

"No way!" exclaimed Zach. "It can speed up TIME?"

"I thought this was only possible in video games and movies and stuff…" mumbled Jody, trying to madly match up the Meteos before they overwhelmed her screen. "So…**weird**…" She shivered.

"Focus, guys," said Rick. "I don't know about you, but if you ask me, Planet Meteo's actually doing us a favor. It might've been okay during our first few battles, but after around the tenth planet or so, I thought that the Meteo Stream speed was getting kind of…slow. I mean, we've gotten so good at this, we can make combos that much faster, right?"

It took a while before Jody and Zach could grasp the full meaning of what Rick just said. Then they exclaimed at the same time, "…Oh yeeeeeeeah!" They found that they were able to adjust their brains to the new speed and were launching complex combos more efficiently than ever. Even Zach was able to stop his frantic scribbling and search for matches as usual.

"Take that, Planet Meteo!" shouted Zach. "You're messing with the wrong guy. I **grew up** on video games!"

_So it would seem, _it replied. _But are you prepared for THIS, too?_

An odd object different from the rest of the Meteos suddenly landed on their screen. It looked…sort of like a bomb. Right when they decided that maybe they should launch it back, it exploded…and took out both the horizontal and vertical columns of Meteos it was in.

"Okay…so…?" Zach didn't get it. Why was Planet Meteo making things easier on their end? It just bought them further from annihilation instead of closer to it.

But it wasn't finished yet. It launched several more of the bombs, as well as a few more objects, such as anvils of various sizes and bombs that blew up Meteos in an X pattern. That's when they began to see the results.

"Aw, come on! I was totally gonna fuse those!" complained Rick, after another bomb just blasted away the fire element he was going to fuse with the other two.

"My ignition stacks look all weird now…this isn't good…" groaned Jody. She had several stacks of Meteos still in the air that were suddenly lopsided due to the bombs.

Then a smoke bomb. "AAAH! Hey, I can't see those! What gives?" complained Zach.

But Planet Meteo was saving its worst surprise for last. From another pore in its molten lava-like skin, it made another Meteo Stream, except that it let the blocks simmer in the lava for too long, charring them all. Then it launched them at the Metamo Ark. Many of them landed in the captains' screens, but a few strayed elsewhere, and…

An explosion—a real one—threw them all off of their feet.

"Hull breach! 35% damage!" shouted one of the crewmembers.

Zach, Jody, and Rick scrambled back up to their stations to resume where they left off. Many more Meteos had flooded their screen in the brief time they were down. It was obvious that Planet Meteo didn't want to let go of its time manipulation capabilities.

"Make sure a repair team is on it, and find out where it came from!" replied Zach.

Right then, the blue aura in the room turned red, and the Meteos started going down more slowly than usual. In fact, the seconds on the clock seemed like they took about five seconds for one to actually pass on it.

"Rrgh…now it can slow down time, too…" Zach grumbled.

Planet Meteo taunted, _Don't you see, Zach?_ _I am the true Meteo master. I can handle whatever you throw at me. I even know all the weak points of your puny little ship. It'll only be a matter of time before you will all succumb, and then your pathetic Planet Geolyte will be next. _

Zach ignored everything and focused on his screen. There had to be some way to stop these annoying bombs and anvils…

And then he realized that he could move them too.

More specifically, the Metamo Ark could move the bombs in exactly the same way they could with the Meteos. Zach figured that maybe it was because they all came from Planet Meteo. Either way, it was time to give the evil planet a taste of its own medicine. He quickly made an ignition with one of the little bombs on top…

And it cleared the screen and hit Planet Meteo, just like all the other ignitions they made. This time, though, it was close to Lolly. Zach didn't mind, though. Serves her right for betraying them like that.

But the bomb didn't hit her at all. Instead, it blew up the Meteos surrounding her. Zach groaned. What lousy luck would do that to him?

Then Lolly wedged Sigma out of there and started zooming around the interior of the evil planet. What was she doing? Planet Meteo winced and blinked. It looked like it was in pain. Maybe…?

"Guys? Change my targeting coordinates to the place where Lolly is right now."

The crewmembers behind him hesitated for a second, not sure of what his plans were, but then agreed. Zach made a chain of ignitions that cleared the screen, and saw them fly to the spot where Lolly was, just as he ordered. Lolly flew out of the way just in time.

The impact on Planet Meteo was immense. It literally stopped shooting Meteos at them for a few seconds as it winced in pain. Lolly flew to another area and started poking at it from underneath, with similar results.

"Jody! I think Lolly is showing us Planet Meteo's weak points! Target the place where she is right now!" ordered Zach.

"What? You—I mean, we thought that she was a traitor. What's going on in here…?"

"I don't know any more than you, but it looks like it's working, so we have to try."

The crewmembers behind them set Jody's coordinates accordingly, and Planet Meteo roared in even greater pain. Lolly repeated the process one last time, and Rick aimed at that spot.

Things were finally turning around. Even the air cleared, and time resumed its normal course. One of the crewmembers shouted, "Its energy levels are now at 7.2%!"

Zach could feel the pressure starting to lift off his shoulders. They were almost there. Just a few more ignitions, and then…

Planet Meteo suddenly shot another Meteo Stream, but instead of aiming it at the Metamo Ark, it snatched Sigma, with Lolly still inside. In fact, it looked like it was trying to do just that for the past 10 minutes (?), but now it finally caught up.

_Muahahahaha! _It finally revealed its evil laughter. _Did you honestly think little Lolly was working for ME? Heh. I thought you knew her better than that. Oh well. Too late for you to hold your fire, eh? Too bad, so sad. Say bye-bye!_

Zach twitched in shock. "…So THAT'S how it is..."

_Oh, come on. You didn't REALLY believe everything I told you, did you?_ it gloated.

Zach fell to the floor. "All this time, Lolly was innocent?"

Jody and Rick gasped. The scoundrel! It really was using every trick possible to get under their skin. Zach realized that he had to go get her back before they blew Planet Meteo up—or more likely, before the evil planet blew itself up. But how? He could get a spacesuit, maybe even use an escape pod, but they were too slow—right then, in the corner, he saw something even better and faster than an escape pod.

Dosani!

He sprang to his feet and unclamped his motorbike from its restraints, shouting, "Rick! Jody! Try not to let Planet Meteo blow up before I get back! I'm gonna bring Lolly back!"

Their jaws dropped. "WHAT?"

"Just trust me on this one!" And with that, he revved up Dosani's motor and rocketed out of there, grabbing a space suit along the way. He also drove through the cloud of insulation mist that was being used to stop the heat of Planet Meteo from seeping inside the damaged hull of the ship. The repair team could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the captain launch himself and Dosani off a ramp and straight through the hole, flying across the gap between the Metamo Ark and the real Planet Meteo.

Even though he could hear it gloating at him more loudly than ever, he didn't lose his resolve. "Wait for me, Lolly," he muttered. "I'm coming."

**To be continued…**


	13. Dosani to the Rescue

Scene 13: Dosani to the Rescue

Zach and Dosani plunged into the magma-covered surface of Planet Meteo. The only thing preventing them from melting on the spot was the layer of insulation mist that was attached to them. It wouldn't last forever, though—and neither would the planet, at the rate at which it was rumbling—but he had to do whatever it took to get Lolly back. It might've been too late for her to help him out in this final battle, but she was more than just a useful comrade—she was the best friend he ever had. The only one he'd ever cared about this strongly. He wouldn't let Planet Meteo or anyone take that away.

They drove through the winding corridors and even plowed through some of the walls. Judging by how intensely the planet was twitching, it wouldn't be long before it exploded. It had to be holding Lolly around this general area.

And there she was, stuck inside Sigma, trying to shove her way out of the grasp of Meteo blocks.

"LOLLY!" he shouted, turning up the turbo boost as high as he could. He pointed Dosani, aimed right at the Meteo blocks, and plowed right into them.

* * *

"Rick, we have to throw as many bombs as we can at Planet Meteo! We can't let it self-destruct itself until Zach and Lolly come back!"

"I know, I know! But we don't have that many left!"

Sure enough, they ran out, and all they could do was wait. But Jody had one last idea. "Hey guys! Make sure the repair crews are ready and waiting at the hull breach sites, and as soon as Zach and Lolly come back, turn up the Metamo Ark's shields to maximum!" It was the best they could do. The evil planet was too close to self-destructing for them to get away safely.

_We'll see if that plan of yours actually works,_ sniggered Planet Meteo. It then shot another blast of Meteos at the Metamo Ark, trying to annihilate them all.

* * *

"ZACH!" she shouted. This time, though, he could finally hear her.

Dosani's impact scattered the Meteo blocks all around, making Planet Meteo lose its grasp. Zach cut the engine, shoved Sigma on the backseat (which was easier said than done since the heavy Wind Sailer had Lolly and her lollipop still stuck inside it), and buckled them in as tightly as he could.

Lolly shouted, "He caught me! I wanted to come back to you guys, Zach! Honestly! I wasn't working with him at all! He got into my head and found out everything about you guys! It wasn't my fault!"

"I know," muttered Zach. "We figured it out. Sorry I ever thought you were a traitor. Blasted eyeball…" He hopped back on Dosani and pushed the turbo as far as it could go. "But right now, we've gotta get out of here! It's gonna explode!"

The Meteo stacks made the planet shake even more violently now, and it wasn't nearly as easy to fight against the planet's gravity as it was to go with it. Plus, Lolly and Sigma's weight didn't help, either.

"Look, Zach, I'm sorry I ran away! That was stupid! You were right. It wasn't your fault that I failed at all. It was mine. If only Planet Meteo didn't…then this wouldn't have…"

"It kept you here to mess with us. I know. I forgive you. But we're not out of here yet!"

The earthquakes were getting dangerously powerful. It took all of Zach's focus not to let them mess with Dosani's balance. Finally, he saw the exit. He aimed right for it, shot out of it like a ramp…

And the engine overheated. The momentum wasn't enough to reach the Metamo Ark. They just floated in the space between, with a gloating Planet Meteo about to explode behind them. Zach started to panic. "No, no, no, no, NO!"

Lolly decided to take matters into her own hands. "Zach, don't give up! We can make it! We WILL!" She stepped on Sigma's accelerator, and its engines were powerful enough to drag Zach and Dosani along with it. They aimed right for the last of the hull breaches that were left unrepaired…

And Planet Meteo exploded. The shockwaves from the initial energy burst propelled them even faster. They braced for impact.

"NOW!" shouted Jody.

Zach, Dosani, Lolly, and Sigma flew right into the floor where the repair team was waiting for them. Right as they hit, the barrier around the Metamo Ark materialized at full strength. Planet Meteo's explosion engulfed them all and sent the whole ship flying. No one knew how long it would be until the ship stopped spinning, or worse, if the shield would hold.

After what felt like a long time, though, the ship stabilized. Everyone slowly opened their eyes. Planet Meteo was gone. They were all still alive. Best of all, Zach and Lolly had come back.

The repair team cheered and carried Zach, Lolly, and their vehicles all the way to the main deck. Zach could hardly believe it. They made it. They won!

* * *

More confetti than ever before rained down on the main deck as Jody, Rick, and the crewmembers welcomed Zach and Lolly back. They partied for a long time before finally settling down.

Lolly was the first to talk. "Guys? I'm sorry I ran away. Planet Meteo, it…it caught me and leeched everything I knew about you guys. It wanted you to think I was betraying you the whole time, but that wasn't true at all, and—!"

Jody silenced her. "It's okay, dear. As Zach said, we figured it all out."

"But that was stupid of me! I promised I would do my best for you guys, and I broke it! You're never going to let me back in…are you?"

Zach laughed and said, "Lolly. I just risked my life AND everyone's lives here just to get you out of there! Of course we want you back!"

"After all…" added Rick. "You're practically one of us now. Just like your own family."

Lolly shook her head as tears came to her eyes. "No…not like my family. They wouldn't want me anymore now that I've failed the test, but you guys…" She hiccupped. "You don't care whether I passed or not. You're even better!"

Zach patted her on the back and replied, "I know. I feel bad that you missed out on the final battle. Want to help us out on the way back to Geolyte?"

Lolly lit up. "Yeah! I wanna see everything about your planet! You promise you'll show me around when we get there?"

"I promise," Zach smiled.

At that very moment, though, an odd sensation suddenly came into their heads. Rick asked, "Is it just me, or am I getting a headache?"

Jody replied, "Not just you, Rick…I feel it too…"

"And me…" said Zach.

"Me too!" agreed Lolly. "It's like…it's like…"

An evil voice laughed in their heads. No, not just one voice…dozens of them. _You didn't think you could get rid of us THAT easily, did you?_

Jody paled. "Wait…guys? It couldn't be…" She gulped. "Didn't it seem a little odd that Planet Meteo so willingly self-destructed itself?"

"Y—yeah, now that you mention it…" stammered Zach.

"No way…" gasped Lolly, pointing out the window.

They all ran to it. In the deep depths of space, they could faintly see…39 more evil glowing eyeball-shaped planets, each with a wide red aura surrounding them.

_That's right. The one you defeated was only ONE of us._

_Didn't it seem unusual that it still had 95.7% of its energy left when you reached it?_

_Or that, though it took eight of your Geolytian weeks between attacks on your pitiful home planet, you faced a Meteo Stream every day on all the others?_

One of the crewmember gasped, "You can't mean…"

_We have all been formed over billions of years. That one of us has been waiting for the day all of us would be complete before it began its attack on you._

_Every time you reversed a Meteo Stream, it would go back to its source, correct?_

Another crewmember examined the energy readings of the new Planet Meteos. "They're all 95.7%..."

Zach, Rick, and Jody rushed back to their battle stations, even though they had no idea how much good it would actually do. They pressed the Battle Mode button again.

All 39 Planet Meteos began to charge up Meteo Streams of their own. _We still have more than enough power to crush you all. We WILL destroy this pathetic galaxy of yours and make it our own…starting with Planet Geolyte!_

And then all 39 Meteo Streams came upon them at once.

**To be continued…**


	14. All for One and One for All!

Scene 14: All for One and One for All!

The Metamo Ark's crew braced for impact as they stared down 39 massive Meteo Streams coming right in their faces. Then the room went dark. The ship's transformation sequence was just getting started. By the time the monitors came up showing what was happening outside, it would be too late. How could victory turn to total annihilation this quickly? There was no time to think. There wasn't even time to scream. In less than one second, they would all die.

Except that they didn't.

The monitors came up at the front of the room, and as it turned out, all 39 Meteo Streams were…heading** away** from them. They could barely believe their eyes. "Wha…?"

"Hey, Geolyte people! You didn't forget about us, did you?"

The voice coming from the radio startled them all. Zach asked, "Who are you? H—how did you hack into our frequency—?"

"Oh, come on. 'Hack' is a really harsh word." Another hologram monitor popped up, and to their surprise, it was a Firimian. "My name's Torzim Arxley. We saw you guys save our planet, and figured out where you were going. No way you're going to defeat these Planet Meteos and hog the spotlight for yourselves. Everyone, say hi to the Geolytes!"

All the Firimians on the other end started exclaiming "Hi!" into the camera. Zach finally recovered enough to reply, "Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you guys too. My name's Zach Bandrews. I'm the captain."

"Oh yeah! You're that guy who made that speech!" Torzim chuckled for a bit.

"Hey, lay off. I did the best I could…" groaned Zach. "Anyway, is it just you guys?"

"No way. Looks like you saved a LOT of people, and they all got the same idea we did. Check it out."

The Metamo Ark's crewmembers adjusted the camera view to farther outside, and what they saw made their jaws drop. There were 37 other Metamo Ark-looking spaceships that were transforming into copies of the Planet Meteos and launching the Meteos right back to where they came from. The only differences were in the shapes of the ships and the methods they used to move the Meteos around. The Grannestians used wire-type thread, and the Oleanans used zero-point energy. A lot of others used the Geolytians' similar tactic of using the natural magnetism of the Meteos in their ships, though.

"But how?" asked Lolly. "Didn't it take you guys a long time to build that ship and get here?"

"Huh? What's a Starriian doing on your ship? Eh, whatever. You guys were here for days. Must've been a really long battle. In fact, we were worried that we wouldn't get any action."

Everyone looked confused. Days? They were here only for 30 minutes or an hour at most. Finally, Jody figured it out. "Of course! Planet Meteo's time manipulation!"

"What? They can speed up time for you guys?"

Zach replied, "Apparently so. But don't worry. With everyone here, I'm sure we can handle this."

More precisely, there were ships from Firim, Oleana, Anasaze, Grannest, Megadom, Freaze (which easily dwarfed everyone else's), Layazero (which was almost too tiny to see), Bavoom, Boggob, Mekks, Florias, Wiral, Jeljel, Luna=Luna, Brabbit, Vubble, Suburbion, Dawndus, Lastar, Gigagush, Cavious, Thirnova, Yooj, Hotted, Forte, Wuud, Globin, Gravitas, Lumious, Limotube, Arod, Hanihula, Dejeh, Darthvega, Geyler, and yes, Ranbarumba. Even the Starriians had their own version of the Metamo Ark, much to Lolly's surprise. As for the Seven Sages of Hevendor, they didn't need any ship since they could maneuver Meteos with their own immense psychic powers.

It was true. The Geolytes had inspired them ALL to help out with the final battle. It looked like the odds just got better for them. Zach noted that though they all had either already transformed or were transforming into Planet Meteo copies, he could still tell they were on his side because of a slight purple tint to them, just like the Metamo Ark. And with that, Zach shouted, "CHARGE!" and led the way.

They had to endure the exact same set of time-manipulation and bomb-throwing tricks that the previous Planet Meteo did, but at least it wasn't holding Lolly hostage this time. In fact, Lolly made sure to spray a whole layer of clear insulation around herself, her lollipop, and Sigma so that she could fly out there and help Zach and friends make combos with Meteos even more easily, just like back then. What made things harder for her, though, was that the sped-up time didn't affect her, so she had to keep her distance to avoid being pounded by the super-fast Meteo rain. The battle was really starting to drag out.

Finally, they managed to annihilate that Planet Meteo, and this time, they got out of the way before it blew up. But then they groaned at the prospect of having to do the same for the other 38 Planet Meteos, as it looked like everyone else was having much more trouble than they did.

Wait…actually, make that 37.

"People of Planet Geolyte? Can you hear me?"

A telepathic voiced filled the room, but it wasn't nearly as evil as the voices from Planet Meteo. In fact, it was much more calming…and familiar. "Wait," said Zach. "Aren't you one of those Seven Sages of Hevendor?"

"Yes. My name is Zelda, and I am the Sage of Time."

Zach froze, not quite believing his ears. "Zelda? You mean, like, THE Princess Zelda from The Legend of—?"

"NO. We are nothing like those fictional characters in your Geolytian video games. That is but a mere coincidence. Anyway, I request that you go help the Grannestians, and when that Planet Meteo is vanquished, the two of you should go assist any other planets in need of help. There is strength in numbers, you see. The other six sages and I shall go assist the others. Good luck."

The psychic presence vanished. After what seemed like a long time, Zach replied, "…Right. I knew that." He then ordered the crew to head for the Planet Meteo that the Grannestian robots were having trouble with.

For a while, things continued according to plan. The Metamo Ark diverted the Meteo Stream aimed at the Grannestian battleship, giving them some breathing room and enabling them to fight off their Planet Meteo more effectively. When that planet was no more, Zelda let them both know whichever planets were in need of help. But pretty soon, though, the Planet Meteos figured out what the Metamo Ark was trying to do and developed a plan of their own. They all fired Meteo Streams right at the Metamo Ark.

Luckily, the Seven Sages managed to intercept the streams with help from such battleships as the Starriians'. They would do this every time the Planet Meteos tried a group attack like that. Soon enough, after hours of constant battling, there was only one Planet Meteo left.

By this time, only the Metamo Ark, the Starriians, and the Seven Sages were left standing. Everyone else's ships were too badly damaged to do any more so they either had to sit back on the fringes of the fight or else go home. This last one was proving to be the most stubborn of all.

_You fools. Do you honestly believe it is for your own good that you fight like so? Think about it. I don't know what idiotic force of nature made you all came to be, but if you really want to get anywhere, I suggest you surrender right away and let US create the new universe. After all…It's not like you have missions in life. And what's to stop you all from turning against each other after we are gone?_

Zach cringed. He never thought of it that way before. Zelda, however, replied back, "Your logic is invalid. We have already transcended onto a higher plane of existence. Annihilating all life in the galaxy does not mean you can make better ones to replace them."

And with that, their three forces launched the final blast of Meteos at the evil planet, annihilating the last one once and for all…but not before only Lolly noticed it winking mysteriously.

"We did it!"

The Geolytians and Starriians started celebrating. After all this effort, they had finally won! Never again would the universe have to worry about the threat from Planet Meteo or its armies. But the Seven Sages remained solemnly grim. At first, Lolly thought it was just because they always were like that, much like Goddess Starrii. But then it quickly became clearer. She could feel an odd presence, and a shiver went up her spine. The Starriian ship reverted from its Planet Meteo clone form to its original form. Lolly looked around. So did everyone else's. But what about the Metamo Ark?

The Metamo Ark…

"Guys?" asked Lolly, knocking on a nearby breach that revealed a window to the main deck area.

They didn't hear her yet. They were too busy partying and throwing more confetti.

"GUYS?" she shouted much more loudly. But it wasn't until she pounded the window with her lollipop that they turned to look.

"Lolly? You can come in now," said Zach.

"I know, but…isn't it kind of weird that this ship doesn't show any signs of turning back to normal?"

A deathly silence settled over them all. "Wait. There's something else?" asked Jody in exasperation.

The crew immediately ran to their stations to investigate. To their surprise, they found out what the problem was and said, "Captain? Lolly's right. The Metamo Ark is somehow…frozen…in its reverter sequence."

"What do you mean we can't go back? It worked perfectly the past 40 times!" complained Zach. But even he started feeling something in the air that was too sinister for him to simply shrug off.

Zelda explained for them all. "It is Planet Meteo. It had split up its soul into 40 pieces…and now, all those pieces are starting to converge upon your spacecraft."

Lolly asked, "What do you mean? What's going to happen to Zach?"

"The souls want to make this the next Planet Meteo so they can resume their plan. They have already begun to halt the mechanism of the ship using the energy of the Meteos the ship is made out of. And when their takeover is complete, it will become a new Planet Meteo on the outside as well as the inside. They all…will die."

"No…" gasped Zach.

"NO!" cried Lolly.

Zach activated Dosani's engine and drove right into the window, but it was no use. The souls of the Planet Meteos had already entrenched themselves into the hull of the ship, and released purple lightning that repelled Dosani. Zach tried pounding the window, but it helped even less.

They all were trapped. And very soon, they would all die.

**To be continued…**


	15. The Transcendence of the Soul

Scene 15: The Transcendence of the Soul

"Isn't there anything you can do? ANYTHING?" shouted Lolly.

Zelda replied solemnly, "The only thing we can do…is to slow it down as best as we can."

Lolly tried smashing the glass window with her lollipop weapon, but she got the same result as Zach; the purple lightning stopped her in place and served as an impenetrable shield.

Unfortunately, there were more important things on the Seven Sages' minds. Saria looked out and shouted, "Zelda! The stars…they're dying!"

"What?" Lolly and Zelda looked up. One by one, the stars in the galaxy were beginning to wink out.

Zelda floated up to join them, and the Seven Sages looked around to analyze the situation. Impa explained, "It appears that all 40 Planet Meteos had also been keeping the galaxy alive all this time."

"The Meteos serve as an energy resource, too?" gasped Rauru.

"This must have been their plan all along! Their failsafe plan!" concluded Darmani.

"There are only a few left…" noted Ruto, gazing around the various Meteos blocks left from the final battles that were drifting around in space.

"If we initiate a fusion reaction with them…it is our only hope…" suggested Nabooru.

"But the Geolytians…" added Zelda. "Their ship, the Metamo Ark, will become the next Planet Meteo!"

"Oh, if only there was some way to save them and the galaxy!" complained Saria.

As if to prove Zelda and Saria's points, the atmosphere inside the Metamo Ark suddenly grew tighter, and the ceiling, walls, and floor started to contort in odd ways. It was collapsing. And no matter how hard Zach and Lolly attacked the window separating them, the Planet Meteo souls' purple electricity would zap them before they even reached the window.

"Lolly!" shouted Zach. "It's going to crush you too! Get out of here while you still can!" It was true. Even outside the window, the hull breach would eventually seal up and bury her under a thick layer of molten Meteo magma.

"No! I'm not leaving you again! EVER!" Unable to do anything else, she collapsed against the window in tears. "Besides, y—you promised me that we'd get out of this alive, I'd get to see y—your home planet. Didn't we…aren't we friends?"

"I'm doing everything I can, Lolly! I…I never thought I'd say this, but…I don't want you to go either!" He looked down and mumbled, "I've always wanted to go home a hero. Make my mom proud of me for once in my life. Maybe stop being a deadbeat and do something good for a change…" He sniffed. "But you know what? I was planning for us to go back to your home planet and convince Goddess Starrii to let you do a retake. You know?"

Lolly gasped, "I…I didn't know that! Zach, it's supposed to be impossible to—!"

"Not while I'm around. I'll make it happen. Believe me."

The atmosphere in the room became more strained and marked with purple lighting. The entire crew was forced to the ground at this point, too weakened to move. "Zach…" gasped Jody. "The scientists…they recorded everything in the data capsules…we…we can still launch them before Planet Meteo takes over. Hopefully someone will receive them back home."

"Good…" Zach groaned. "Launch them."

As the capsules all launched out of the Metamo Ark, it hit Lolly that they really were going to die. How could they give up so easily? Why now, after all they had been through?

Meanwhile, the Seven Sages were using their powerful psychic energy to try and fuse the Meteos themselves, but to no luck. They couldn't generate enough energy to revive all the stars that were going out. They also had to take turns keeping the Metamo Ark from succumbing to the evil energy of Planet Meteo's souls.

"We need help!" shouted Saria. "We cannot do this all by ourselves!"

Impa wondered, "If only there was some stronger fusion mechanism…Oh wait!"

"What?" asked Ruto.

"The Metamo Ark! Can it create the fusion for us?"

Zelda nearly lost her focus. "How? Planet Meteo has almost taken it over! Does it even possess the mechanism for a strong enough fusion?"

"I believe so," said Darmani. "But we must hurry."

The Seven Sages gathered all the Meteos floating around in the airspace and arranged them around the Metamo Ark in a way that all it would take was one movement, and they would all fuse at once. They set the Meteos in place and made the movement right away. But to their dismay, none of the Meteos lit up at all.

Nabooru gasped, "Are we too late? Planet Meteo's entrenchment…has it gone too far?"

"Its souls are suppressing the chain reaction! We have to repel them enough to allow the ignitions to occur!" shouted Rauru.

Zelda ordered, "Saria! Rauru! Darmani! Ruto! Nabooru! Impa! We cannot allow Planet Meteo to take over the Metamo Ark any further!"

"Understood, Zelda!" they answered.

The seven of them focused their psychic powers and managed to push the souls of Planet Meteo much farther away, but still not quite enough to allow for the ignition to occur. In fact, the souls became angry and resisted with all their might.

"Zach, Lolly. Can you hear me?" asked Zelda. "We need your help. We think we may know the way to stop this."

"Really? What?" shouted Zach and Lolly at the same time.

"Clear your minds and push back the souls of Planet Meteo for us."

Zach stared in disbelief. "But we're not psychic!"

"Yes you are. Every being—no matter how weak—has at least some form of psychic energy. Yours and Lolly's are particularly strong—in fact, stronger than you might think. You must try, or else we are all doomed."

Zach and Lolly hung their heads in defeat. This was the only way they could stay alive, and neither of them knew how to do it. Push back souls? They couldn't even feel where the souls were coming from!

The pressure upon them was almost unbearable now. There would only be time for a few last words.

"Zach…I'm sorry I ran away. I'm sorry I blamed you for everything. But you're a good person, the best friend I've ever had, and…" She sniffed. "I actually don't regret that I failed the test, because I'm glad…I got to meet you…and remember when you said I shouldn't follow everyone else?"

"Yeah?"

"I finally figured it out my real goal. It's…it's you."

"Same here…I…I never wanted to be a jerk. But I never thought I'd ever find anything worth living for ever since Dad died. But I was wrong. Because…right now…!" He paused to gain one more breath. "You're the one person who's made my whole life worth living again!"

"Goodbye, Zach…"

"Stay cool, Lolly. Stay cool…"

They expected to be crushed right then and there. They expected for Planet Meteo to completely take over and vanquish their existences from the inside out. But…

Nothing happened. Except…

KA-BLOOIE!

40 ethereal voices screamed at once. All the Meteos that the Seven Sages had stacked inside the ship suddenly ignited and blasted the surface of the Metamo Ark's fake Planet Meteo surface. Then that surface started to disappear, and the Metamo Ark began the process of transforming back to normal. Light poured into the main deck through the cleared-up window. It revealed that the floor, walls, and ceiling were suddenly back to normal. In fact, they couldn't feel any evil presences or purple lighting or anything. Jody and Rick looked up at their monitors, which were still on.

"No way…" they gasped.

There was still a playing field where they could launch Meteos from. But this playing field was longer and much taller than any planet they have ever encountered. Even the Meteos were tiny. Jody whispered, "I don't get it…the Metamo Ark itself can launch attacks too?"

Rick added, "Why is it that a ship as tiny as ours gets a playing field bigger than all the other planets? I don't get it either."

Zach and Lolly were even more surprised to find that they were still alive. "Wha…wha…?"

"See?" boomed Zelda's voice from above. "You two could do it after all."

They were too stunned to ask how.

"Now go create one last fusion for us. You know what you need to do…to restore the galaxy back to the way it was."

Zach, Rick, Jody, and the rest of the crew ran back to their original stations. Lolly hopped on Sigma, and realized that the Seven Sages' protective psychic energy was enabling her to breathe in outer space. Delighted, she flew up top to help Zach and friends make ignitions one last time. All the Meteos that the Seven Sages had fused apparently fixed the ship, and were now coming down into it so that they could fuse them again to help restore the galaxy. Every time they shot a group of Meteos into space, it would become supercharged with a brilliant white light, and as soon as it left the Metamo Ark's general atmosphere, it would zoom off into the depths of space, ready to revive a star that faded away only a moment ago.

"Try to clear your entire screen, the whole way across…the tactic which we at Hevendor could never accomplish," Zelda whispered.

"You got it!" answered Zach.

He, Jody, and Rick managed to create enough chains so that there was a stack the whole way across. One vertical ignition was all it took to send the whole mass flying, as well as all of the supercharged Meteos that were falling in. The Metamo Ark glowed with a bright white light and shot the whole mass towards the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Upon impact, it resonated and spread its light throughout the whole galaxy…repairing all the planets that Planet Meteo had ever destroyed.

Zach, Lolly, and the entire crew of the Metamo Ark just stood there, staring in awe, as the Seven Sages showed them all of that via telepathy. Finally, Zach mentioned, "…Please say there's still one more camera capsule thingy on board."

"Actually…there is," Rick held one up. "I sorta kept it…just in case…you know…something insane like this would actually happen."

"RICK!" shouted Jody.

"What?" he answered nervously. Why she was so mad again?

"I thought I told you to fire all capsules so that…that…" She frowned as the situation finally caught up to her. "…That was actually really smart of you."

Rick let out a breath he's been holding in, and he smiled. "Whaddya know? I can be useful sometimes too."

Zach laughed. Meanwhile, Lolly asked the Seven Sages, "What just happened?"

Zelda explained, "The Metamo Ark is comprised of pure Meteos on its outer hull, correct? All planets in the galaxy are made of differing amounts of these Meteos and their elemental properties, and as such, they are considered the building blocks of the galaxy. The Meteos were intended for creation, but that evil Planet Meteo wanted to use them for destruction. The fusion capabilities on the Metamo Ark were the only thing that could successfully fuse the remaining Meteos and use them for their original purpose…to restore life to the galaxy."

Impa added, "It…just appeared that you Geolytes did not comprehend the full utility of your invention…so we decided to help you out."

"Well, it is now time for us to return to Hevendor. Our planet's psychic barrier will not last forever, you know," said Darmani.

"And so should you," added Ruto. "Just like they are."

As Ruto said, all the ships from the rest of the planets finally activated their hyperdrives and left. It was okay, though. The Metamo Ark's crew could hear their rejoicing over the radio the whole time.

Finally, Lolly asked, "But I don't get it! Zach and I were gonna die, and then…and then…" She was too flabbergasted to finish the sentence.

"Allow me to explain," said Rauru. "We were not lying when we said you two had the greatest amount of dormant psychic energy of all. Perhaps it was no accident that Planet Meteo attacked when it did, because if it never did, you two would never have met."

Nabooru concluded, "You see, a friendship between two different intelligent species is the first step to achieving a higher plane of existence…just like us! You both grew and learned from each other more than you ever normally could. Things are going to change in this galaxy, I just know it. It may not make much sense to such beings as you two, but believe me, that very friendship was the one thing Planet Meteo never thought would ever happen. It was too shocked to find that it actually could!"

Right then, as if to prove Nabooru's point, Zach shouted, "Lolly!" Lolly turned around to see him in his spacesuit riding on Dosani, leaping out of the airlock right towards her.

"Zach!" Lolly adjusted Sigma to give her a better position and leapt right off it, plowing into Zach and knocking him off of Dosani.

For a second, her hugging attacked knocked the wind out of Zach, but then he regained his breath. "Sorry. Always was a bit impatient. Didn't want to be on the other side of the window anymore, you know?"

"Zach, Zach, Zach…!" She hugged him so tightly, wanting to make sure he was there.

Saria affirmed, "You see? THAT was what Planet Meteo could never understand. Whether it desired it or feared it is unknown, but it is clear that if you two never met, its soul would never go away."

Zelda said, "Our psychic protection will last a few more hours, Lolly, so take your time. Zach, Lolly, and the Geolytes? We are glad we all met you. May we all meet again someday. Farewell…" And with that, the Seven Sages teleported away through a wormhole back to their home planet.

The crew of the Metamo Ark took the time to just sit back, relax, and watch. They were too tired for any more confetti at the moment. All they wanted was to see Zach and Lolly, floating there in space…hugging each other as if they would never let go.

**To be continued…**


	16. What the Future Holds

Scene 16: What the Future Holds

"Ready?" said Zach.

"Ready," replied Lolly.

"Let's go."

Zach and Lolly hopped on Dosani Sigma, their newly-combined motorbike and Wind Sailer. Now it could fly as well as drive on land. In the previous weeks, they made sure to balance the weight and construction so that neither would collapse under the other's weight.

In fact, the Metamo Ark had been travelling back home for the past four weeks…maybe a little less. Now that there were no more planets to rescue and no more Planet Meteo to deal with, they could finally relax. It had gotten to the point where the crew had become so bored that they threw confetti and parties every night. Of course, before all that, Rick and Jody made sure they retrieved all the wayward capsules so they could copy the conclusion of that final battle from that one capsule Rick kept to the rest of them.

Luckily, they weren't completely bored. Every so often, they would stop by one of the planets they've rescued to see how they were doing. They would also be transfixed by how bright and new the stars out in outer space looked. It was clear that no one would forget their deeds anytime soon, and that was the way they liked it.

During the trip, Zach and Lolly finally had a chance to tell more about each other; in particular, Lolly could go into greater detail about her life on Planet Starrii, what it was like to try to follow the goal that pretty much everyone else aspired to, and how she eventually decided to make Sigma. Zach was amazed that she did it all by herself just from looking at the one her big brother made. He thought back to how he had to buy Dosani, and the only construction he did was just tune-ups. She just never ceased to amaze him.

And here they were. Planet Starrii again. Zach was ready to make good on his promise to Lolly. As for the crew, they were glad to finally stop by somewhere for once.

Dosani Sigma zoomed out of the Metamo Ark and drove by where the Starriians' starship was parked. Jody and Rick assured them that they could handle the crowd of Starriians (mostly males) who were swarming to meet them all, pay thanks, get autographs, etc. Lolly pointed the general direction of where Goddess Starrii's temple was, and Zach could figure out the rest of the way.

"Just so you know, Zach, the oracles of Goddess Starrii are serious. They're used to defending her from stuff like giant asteroids. Someone tiny like you might have a hard time."

"No worries, Lolly. I'm a pro at this. Besides, you can always get us in the air if necessary."

"Then there's the goddess herself, and her psychic powers are—"

"Lolly. We've dealt with psychic** planets** before. I'll get you back in. I promise."

They came across the wide, massive marble staircase to the temple, and Zach gulped. "Uh, I said I was a pro, but I don't think I've ever tried going up stairs—"

Lolly activated Dosani Sigma's air thrusters, and up they went. "Whew!" Zach sighed.

As they sailed in, Lolly found it odd that there were no oracles attempting to block their way. Even stranger, no one in her family had come to meet her yet. Not even Sophitia. What was going on in here?

Goddess Starrii was just floating there in front of there, clearly at full power. The intensity of her aura (and her sheer height) made Zach hit the brakes and stare up at her in awe. After all, he never believed that such things as goddesses really existed until now. Even Lolly was speechless.

"Zach Bandrews? Lolly Paluteena? I have been expecting you."

Zach was slightly shocked. "You know my name? Ma'am?" he added quickly, in spite of himself.

Lolly stood up straight, but whimpered a bit inside. She braced herself for a mana blast that would vaporize her. No, not just her. Why did she have to bring Zach along again?

"Saria, Rauru, Darmani, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, and Zelda have told me a lot about you."

Zach smiled, "Ooooh…I KNEW they were the Seven Sages from Ocarina of—"

"Hevendor. Purely a coincidence, mind you."

Lolly couldn't help but interject, "You **know** them?"

"Of course, Lolly. I helped teach them to be where they are today, as protectors of the galaxy. Anyway…they told me about everything you two have endured. And…"

They tensed up. "And…?"

"Zach, you have come to convince me to give Lolly a second chance, correct? That shall not be necessary."

Zach complained, "But—!"

"Lolly, remember the day I told you that you failed?"

There was a pause. Lolly replied, "Y—yes…?"

"You actually passed."

Confetti came from out of nowhere, and dozens of Starriians leaped from the ceiling and ran from around them, shouting "Congratulations!"

Lolly was flabbergasted. "Mom? Dad? Aunt Calypso? Grandma Hecuba? Uncle Theseus? Sophitia? Guys, what's going on in here?" Zach was almost as flabbergasted to find that Lolly's whole family was actually swarming them.

Sophitia hugged Lolly and shouted, "Lolly! Glad you're finally back. Goddess Starrii told us everything!"

Lolly was still confused. "Everything? What's everything?"

Goddess Starrii ordered, "Silence, please. Give the children some room. I shall explain everything."

They obeyed so quickly, it almost made Zach nervous.

Goddess Starrii floated even higher into the air and said, "Lolly. On the day of your test, during the final trial, I looked into your future, as I did with all who came before you. But that day, I not only witnessed you fulfilling your duties happily…I also witnessed the Meteo attack. Not only our world's complete and total annihilation, and Planet Meteo's wicked laughter…but I also witnessed the Metamo Ark flying by us mere seconds before it all would happen."

Lolly gasped. Zach gulped.

"So as you can see, I could not allow that to happen. Someone had to stop them before they flew away, as neither I nor any of my followers could have stopped the Meteo Stream all by ourselves. As a result, the only solution I saw at that point…was to say that you failed, Lolly."

She gasped again. "So you mean…I really…?"

"Yes. Anyway, I predicted you would react the way you did, and for that, I am truly sorry. However, it did have its intended effect. You met Zach and delayed the Metamo Ark long enough to have them help us."

Lolly thought back to that time, and her eyes grew wide. "…So THAT'S that Jody meant…!"

Zach asked Lolly, "Is that why we found you in Sigma like that? You were running away?"

Lolly nodded, "Y—yeah…"

"But that was not the only reason I said you failed."

Everyone looked up. It looked like even Lolly's family never heard this next bit.

"A few days before Lolly's test, Zelda told me that a Geolytian battleship called the Metamo Ark would engage in battle with this evil Planet Meteo. However…it would end badly, with all the entire crew dead, a new Planet Meteo born, and a repeat of events, one by one by one, until all the other planets' battleships became Planet Meteos, much like a time loop…and eventually, all the stars in the galaxy would have vanished from existence. Zelda told me that there must be something I could do to break this time loop before it started." She smiled. "Looks like I was correct about you two after all."

They knew what she meant. If they had never met…the Metamo Ark would never have survived to tell the tale.

"Again, I apologize for deceiving you, Lolly. Since you truly have passed the test, this is my offer. Would you like to accept the position of my newest oracle?"

Once upon a time, Lolly would have jumped at the chance without reservation. But now, with everything that she'd been through, everything new she learned since leaving the planet, everything she'd ever experienced with the crew of the Metamo Ark…She looked around at her friends and family, totally conflicted, and then focused on Zach. He seemed to be overjoyed and urging her to accept the offer. But…but…

"Actually…" She hesitated before continuing on. "I've been thinking about a lot of things lately. Zach, you once asked me why I didn't choose a dream I wanted for myself. That was because I'd never known any other option. I was stuck here my whole life. But then, when you came…" She had to pause to gather her thoughts. "…Suddenly, it seemed like there was so much more I could do. So many new alien beings to meet, so many planets to travel to…Remember how you promised me that I'd get to see your home planet? I would never get to do that if I became an oracle, and even if I could, I…" She took a deep breath. "I wouldn't want to do it without you."

Zach was stunned. "R…really? But you even ran away when you thought I ruined your chances at this. I mean, how can you be so sure?"

"It wasn't just because Goddess Starrii wanted us together to save the galaxy. I want to follow you wherever you go, Zach…so I can find my mission in life too."

Goddess Starrii smiled again. "I thought you might say that. It is all right, though."

Lolly perked up. "Really? But…but I thought everyone had to—"

"It would be criminal to keep galactic saviors like you two stuck here forever. Go. See the sights that no Starriian has ever seen. But do not worry. I can still offer you my guidance…no matter where you go."

* * *

So it was decided. At long last came the time for Lolly to say goodbye to her whole family. Sophitia had an especially hard time of it.

"Lolly…!" she sobbed. "You're so lucky! You get to go everywhere and do whatever you want now…Lucky…"

"I'll miss you most, Sophitia. You know that, right?"

"Yeah…Take care, and don't forget to write, okay?"

"I won't. Thanks for everything."

Meanwhile, Lolly's parents decided to have a word with Zach. "Make sure you treat my daughter right, y'hear?" reminded Mr. Paluteena.

"Yes sir!" Zach saluted. Suddenly, to him, it seemed that a guy with pink skin didn't seem so weird anymore. The guy made him think back to his own dad, whom he wished he'd gotten to know a little more. He didn't want to blow this one and only opportunity to make a good first impression on Lolly's dad.

Zach, Lolly, and the rest of the crew boarded the Metamo Ark, along with Lolly's personal items and some gifts vaguely resembling Greek food that the Starriians gave as thanks. As the ship lifted off from the ground, everyone waved goodbye to each other, especially Lolly. This could very well be the last time she ever saw Planet Starrii and her family again.

But she didn't mind. She was already jumping in anticipation of seeing Planet Geolyte. And with one week left to go, it wouldn't be long now.

"Lolly. Did you really mean what you said back then? About how I can help you find your mission in life?"

She giggled, "Of course I did, silly. I still do. What? What about it?"

Zach smiled. "I never thought the day would ever come when I'd say this, but…I think you can help me find mine too."

**To be continued…**


	17. The Proudest of All

Scene 17: The Proudest of All

Finally, at long last, the Metamo Ark returned to Planet Geolyte to massive amounts of cheers and applause. And just in time, too—they only had enough food on the ship to last one more day. Zach and friends thought that maybe they would have to land on the moon like last time, but instead, they found that the scientists at the Lunar Observation Base had successfully completed a landing platform on the mainland, close to Twofork City. Though there were paparazzi and journalists among the forefront of the crowd, Zach found to his relief that the landing platform was connected to a high-security building, which would give them much-needed breathing room.

Lolly took in all the sights from the time they emerged from hyperspace to the time they landed. "Ooooh…Geolyte is two planets?" she asked Zach.

He laughed and explained, "No, that's the moon. That's where we launched from. But it looks like we're not landing there. We're going to land on the main planet."

Lolly was still confused. "How is the moon different from a planet?"

"Simple. You know how a planet circles the sun? Well, a moon circles the planet itself."

"Oh, I get it. Wow…"

When they landed, the doors opened, and the first ones to meet them was everyone from the Lunar Observation Base. Professor James Glierce, Zach's mom…even Mr. D and his men in black.

"ZACH!" shouted Mrs. Bandrews.

"MOM!"

At that moment, Zach didn't hear any of the scientists asking him all sorts of questions, nor did he notice Jody and Rick passing the data capsules to all the scientists so they could see the videos of their adventures. All that mattered was that he and his mom were together again, and that he kept his promise that he would come back.

* * *

"Mom? This is Lolly Paluteena. Lolly? This is my mom."

Lolly bowed. "It—it's nice to meet you, Mrs. Bandrews!" she stammered.

"My goodness! You're quite polite!"

The three of them managed to escape into a private room in the building away from the crowd of crewmembers and scientists. Zach had to explain why an alien girl from Planet Starrii kept following him around. Luckily, Lolly could also help out with the explanations about everything they went through.

"Mom, if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be here right now. Please understand."

Mrs. Bandrews eyed him sarcastically and said, "What, did you think I was going to embarrass you or something? Really, Zach, you know me better than that!"

Lolly shifted uncomfortably. "Hey, Zach? Where's the rest of your family? Besides your dad, I mean. You did save the whole planet and the galaxy, so…"

Mrs. Bandrews explained, "Oh, we live all over the country. We all have different jobs, you see, and we only get to meet a couple of times a year. I'm sure they're all watching this on TV right now. Why? What about your family?"

"W—well…we all live in the same place…so…"

Mrs. Bandrews laughed. "Must be fun!"

"Yeah! Kinda…"

Right then, Mr. D. and his men in black came into the room. "Zach Bandrews? Professor Glierce would like a word with you. And you're allowed to listen in too, Maria and…Lolly."

"Yeah? Okay, sure." Zach internally groaned at the fact that Mr. D. and his guys never seemed to want to leave him and his mom alone…but at least Professor Glierce always had something useful to say.

But it didn't look like he would have to go out there himself. Mr. D. looked behind his back and said, "James? He's in here."

Mr. D. and his men left the room as the professor came in. The professor adjusted his eyeglasses and said, "Well, well, if it isn't Zach. I must say, you're quite the hero."

Zach replied, "With all due respect, sir, the Seven Sages of Hevendor said that even you had no idea what the Metamo Ark could really do—"

"Yes, well, I've heard the same. Anyway, I'm here to tell you that shortly before you and your crew arrived, some ambassadors from Planet Firim, Oleana, and Anasaze dropped by our Lunar Observation Base."

Zach was stunned. "What? Ambassadors? What for?"

"They told me everything that you did. Apparently, you all had saved 38 planets like theirs from total destruction on the way to Planet Meteo! They wanted to repay you for everything you did, and not only that, they said they wanted to get to know us better. As a result, they were requesting that we make a sort of…say…Galactic Federation."

Lolly and Mrs. Bandrews just stared in astonishment. Zach asked, "Which means what exactly?"

"They've just passed the approval in Congress. Our moon will be used as the base of operations, which is why we're all down here on Geolyte. Basically, ambassadors from each planet will be able to meet and discuss measures by which interplanetary communication can occur. We may even be able to travel to those other planets for recreation and economic trade!"

"And…?"

"And—this is the most important part—they were requesting YOU, Zach, to be Planet Geolyte's first ambassador to this Galactic Federation. Well? You did so well out there, helping them all out. What do you say?"

Zach was stunned. So were Mrs. Bandrews and Lolly.

"Whoa whoa whoa! I just got here! Now I have to—I mean, whoa. This is too fast," he said.

"A Galactic Federation?" asked Lolly. "You mean we'll be able to go to each other's planets whenever we want now?"

"According to the regulations that its members set up, of course," replied Professor Glierce. "Well, Zach? Think about it."

Zach just sat there, thinking hard for a long time. His mom reassured him, "Don't worry, Zach. I'll support you no matter what you choose. Oh! And by the way, they built us a new house!"

"They did?"

"Yes! So don't worry about me. Do what you want to do."

He continued to think. Lolly asked him, "Zach? Didn't you have anything you wanted to do when you got back? You know, after showing me around?"

"That…that's a good point, Lolly. I never really thought of that." He stretched his arms and thought back to everything they'd been through. "You know…Now that I think about it, when I was travelling from planet to planet, helping protect them from the Meteo Streams…it wasn't just you that helped keep me from cracking under the pressure."

"Not just me?"

"Yeah…I think…I think it was because…I was looking forward to seeing what that planet was like. I protected them as fiercely as I could because…maybe because I wanted to meet them too."

Lolly smiled. "Well, there are a load of aliens we don't even know anything about. I guess it would be nice to meet them all."

"It would, wouldn't it? And wouldn't it be cooler if we could all go to each other's planets, like you said, anytime we wanted? That would be so cool! It would be, like, out of a movie!"

Professor Glierce spoke up, "True, but you would also have responsibilities as serious as those when you were captain of the Metamo Ark."

"Yeah, there's totally going to be Meteo Streams of death there too," joked Zach.

"But this time, it will not be merely about survival. You are aware of that, correct?"

Zack smiled and looked from his mom to Lolly to Professor Glierce, and finally back to Lolly. The Seven Sages were right. Things really were about to change in the galaxy forever. "Yeah…yeah, I am. If there's anything this trip taught me, it's three things. One…" He looked at his mom. "I'm a better man than Dad was after all. I kept my promise."

She nearly cried in happiness. "Yes…your father would be the proudest of all."

"Two…I've finally found what it means to live. It's all about helping people other than yourself and doing things that make the galaxy a better place." The professor gave him a thumbs-up in approval.

"And three, which is the most important of all…" He smiled at Lolly. "I've found that I could actually befriend an alien, and that they could teach me more than I could ever learn if I was stuck here. And if Lolly is any indication, who knows what other experiences out there I might be missing? I want to meet them. I want to see things I've never seen before, in ways I've never known. This must have been what I was meant to do all along! Professor? I'll take the job. But…"

The professor looked confused. "But what?"

He turned to Lolly. "But there's no way I'm doing this without Lolly. Right?"

She smiled, "I think so too, Zach! Planet Starrii also needs an ambassador. I'll do it!"

Mrs. Bandrews asked Lolly, "I've been looking after Zach for 24 years now. You promise to help look after him?"

Lolly knew this was the same to what her dad asked of Zach. "Don't worry, Mrs. Bandrews. We've already promised."

* * *

After the next few weeks involving the paparazzi, news events and general worldwide fame, especially upon footage of the entire video from the data capsules, Zach and Lolly finally got some free time to themselves. They rode on Dosani Sigma all around Twofork City, with Zach explaining everything about the planet, just like he promised.

At the end of the day, Lolly activated Dosani Sigma's air thrusters, and they flew all the way to the moon, where they drove to meet the Firimian (including Torzim Arxley), Oleanan, Anasazean, and even other Geolytian ambassadors, among them Rick and Jody, much to Zach's surprise.

During the meeting, they not only made plans to visit the major governments of each other's planets, but also to allow membership to ALL 34 other planets that had fought against Planet Meteo. By the time the meeting ended, Zach said to Lolly, "You know what? I just realized something."

"What, Zach?"

"Even though Planet Meteo might've messed up our lives and tried to destroy the galaxy, if it weren't for it—or them, depending on how you look at it—I would've been stuck on Geolyte, never found what I really wanted to do…and I never would have met you."

Lolly's eyes grew wide when she figured out what he meant. "…Me too! I never thought of it that way! So when you think about it, Planet Meteo was evil…but it wasn't completely bad either. Is that it?"

Zach smiled. "That's it. It's like what my mom said…good things can come out of bad things after all."

And so, Zack, Lolly, and all the other ambassadors flew around Planet Geolyte, enjoying not only the freedom from Planet Meteo's wrath, but the knowledge and satisfaction of discovering their true missions in life, the anticipation of meeting and getting to know all those other aliens…and the confidence that from then on, every day will become a brighter future that they were all helping to build, for themselves, and for everyone in the galaxy.

**The End!**


End file.
